Unraveled Bandages (V2)
by Veniseppe
Summary: Kuzen did not Leave Eto with Noroi. They escaped V and started a new life in the 20th ward. Eto has lived all her life believing she is the only hybrid alive. So then, who is this new One-eye'd-Ghoul who has suddenly appeared in her life? This boy named Kaneki Ken. Etoken. (Chapter 10 in progress)
1. Chapter 1

Kuzen clutched his child tightly as he watched his home burn. It was his last revolt against V, however insignificant a gesture it was. They had been paying for it after all. Ukina was dead. He had been forced to… she was gone now. V had found out about her and her intent - an intent that he hadn't known about, but in the end he didn't care. Her job may have been a lie, but… she had loved him. There wasn't much he had known in his life, but that was the one thing he was certain of. And that love had been stolen from him.

He felt tears threaten to leak from his eyes and he shut his lids tightly, letting out a shaky exhale. He then looked down to his child. _They won't take __**you**__ from me, though._

They would disappear. It would be written off by V as a suicide by fire. Kuzen had killed a ghoul and used its body as a substitute for his own. It had been a ghoul much like himself; violent and foolish. It was the last time, however. The last time Kuzen would kill for greed. Because, by tomorrow, Kuzen would be a burnt-up corpse in the ashes of a forgotten home.

His child made a sound, shifting his attention from the roaring flames to the infant he cradled in his arms. Her own small appendages reached towards his face, grasping air, as if she were trying to grasp his face, green eyes locking with his own. Letting a single tear escape his right eye and smiling, Kuzen placed his finger into the grasp of his child, who squeezed it tightly, as her father carried her off into the concrete jungle of Tokyo.

(24 years later)

"Early this morning, several unidentified male bodies were discovered in the Aqua Building. A commercial facility in Tokyo's 20th ward. The saliva retrieved from the bodies of the victims is believed to be that of a Ghoul. The incident is currently under investigation by the Commission of Counter Ghoul."

"Damn… The Aqua building isn't that far from here, huh?" Kaneki heard Hide mumble as the former read his book, "Have you ever seen a Ghoul, Kaneki? I bet you'd be eaten up in a second, since all you do is read those weird books all day."

At that, Kaneki meekly looked up from his novel. "Th - they're not weird. Maybe you should expose yourself to more good writing, Hide."

Hide sighed at that and set his head on the table. "No way, man. Books aren't for me. I don't know how you can read those things all the time."

Kaneki sighed and took a sip from his coffee. "But, to answer your question; no, I've never seen a Ghoul before. Sometimes I wonder if they really even exist, it sounds like a dark fantasy, doesn't it? Monsters who eat people?" he mumbled the last bit.

"'Course they do," Hide answered him, head still on the table. "They say Ghouls hide among humans, disguised as people. I bet you they're all around us and we'd never even realize it," he paused for a moment, then smirked. "Wait a minute, Kaneki! I bet you're a Ghoul!"

Kaneki smirked a little at his friends joke as he reached into his book bag and pulled out a loose piece of notebook paper. "If that were true, then I think you'd be very dead, Hide." He said as he began scribbling on the notebook paper. "But, even if they pass as human-shaped, they probably really look like this, right?" as he began to finish up his doodle and held up a loose sketch of a monster with an open maw.

Hide smirked and then took the piece of paper from Kaneki, flipped it over, and doodled his own interpretation of a Ghoul onto it. "Here's _my _Idea," he said as he showed Kaneki a poorly done portrait of the latter.

"Hey!" Kaneki said in protest.

Setting the piece of paper down, Hide said, "Anyway, Kaneki, enough about Ghouls." Throwing his thumb over his shoulder at a waitress with short, raven colored hair that fell over one of her eyes he asked, "Is that her? The cute girl you've been talking about so much?"

Kaneki, looking pale at his friend's lack discretion, answered with a shaky tone, "N-no, she works here. I was talking about a customer." Upon looking at her closer, however, Kaneki mentally commented; _She is pretty cute, though._

Suddenly, Hide flamboyantly began to wave his arm about, trying to get her attention. "Excuse me!" he called to her, prompting her to venture towards the two college students.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Can you take our order? I'll have one cappuccino and… what about you, Kaneki?"

Kaneki, embarrassed by Hide's loudness shrank in his seat and replied, "I-I'm fine. I just got my cup…"

The waitress began to write down the order on a notepad but paused as Hide once again started talking to her. "And, uh, can I ask your name?"

She looked at him, uneasiness evident in her eyes. "It's Touka. Touka Kirishima."

Hide then took the hand that had the pen in it and said, "Miss Kirishima, do you have a boyfriend?"  
The waitress, Touka, apparently flustered from the experience retreated with Hide's order. "N-No… I don't!"

As Hide watched her make her way behind the counter he mumbled to himself, "She's so cute."

"Hide!" Kaneki said from behind him, "What the hell are you doing!? This café is the only connection I have to that girl, what will I do if you get us banned!?"

"Oh," Hide bowed quickly to Kaneki, "I'm sorry." He then watched as Kaneki's face shifted from angry to awestruck as the door chime rang out and he looked over his shoulder. "Huh? what's wrong, Kaneki?" Hide asked as he watched his friend bury his face in his book.

"behind me," Kaneki murmured digging his face into his book, "That's her."

Hide started to look past Kaneki when an absolutely gorgeous woman walked passed, catching his attention all the way up to the point she sat down. He then turned toward Kaneki and grasped his shoulders firmly. "Kaneki, dude. I'm telling you this as a friend. Give. Up."

"Huh?!" Kaneki asked, feeling the hope drain out of him. _Even Hide thinks I don't have a chance?!_

"She's way to hot for you dude," Hide explained simply as he looked out the window at the people walking down the sidewalk.

Kaneki sighed, "Y-yeah, I realize that… But, honestly, it makes me happy seeing her. Sometimes, she even smiles at me."

Hide chuckled. "Kaneki, stop it, you're being weird." Kaneki cringed a little. Hide was kind of right.

A moment later, that waitress showed up again and handed Hide his order to which Hide made a lame joke and paid. "Anyway, I got to see the girl you were talking about, but I gotta go, or I'll be late for class. Good luck with her, dreamer boy!"

As Hide exited the coffee shop and it subsequently began to quiet down, Kaneki reopened his book and began to continue reading. His brain soon stopped registering the words, however, as he shifted his gaze from the pages to the purple beauty that sat across from him. _Obviously, she's gorgeous, _Kaneki mentally noted, _but there's a different reason I'm attracted to her. _His eyes then shifted down towards the book in her hands. It was the same one he had in his very own. _She reads Sen Takatsuki – an author I admire. I wonder what she thinks of the way Takatsuki describes the protagonist's descent into madness as he begins to realize the impulses he shares with his serial killer mother?_

Then, she stood up, placing her book in her bag, shouldering it, and headed Kaneki's way, staring past him. Kaneki felt his throat hitch as he realized that he was still staring at her and quickly shifted his eyes back to his book, pretending to read. As he looked blankly at the pages of the book, lips turned into a think white line, her hand connected with the edge of his novel, causing it to fall to the floor.

"Ah! I'm so sorry!" she yelped as she knelt down to pick the novel up but paused after she read the title. She then looked up at Kaneki, with a pleasant smile on her face. "The Black Goat's Egg?" she asked, "Good isn't it? I'm reading it right now, myself… Are you a fan of Takatsuki?"

Kaneki couldn't believe what was happening. She was actually _talking _to him! What should he do? Wait, what did she just ask? Was he a fan of Takatsuki? Of course, he was! _Say something, you idiot! _"Y-yes! I love Sen Takatsuki!" he blurted out, almost as loud as Hide.

Her eyes widened as he excitedly yelled it at her, causing Kaneki to blush in embarrassment and lower his tone. "I uh…" he paused, "I like mysteries."

The smile returned to her face, "Oh, me too."

(-)

The conversation had progressed from there and, much to Hide's disbelief, Kaneki had gotten a date with her. Not to mention, at a bookstore, an idea that Kaneki had once revealed to Hide, who had laughed in his face about it. Needless to say, Hide had been in disbelief, the only thing he could say had been "Well, I guess sometimes you get lucky."

For the next few days, Kaneki had been fretting over what he should wear, conversation topics, and what places she may like to eat at. Kaneki had never been on a date before, so he had no idea what to do. However, it hadn't been all that hard he soon discovered; Rize had been easy enough to please, going along with whatever, he suggested, and they had quite a lot to talk about. Soon though, Kaneki's dream date was coming to an end and now, he was walking the girl of his dreams home.

"… You're blood type is AB?" Kaneki asked surprised, not quite knowing how the conversation had gotten to this, but not questioning it. "Mine too!"

"What a coincidence…" Rize commented, a small smile on her face. "Our taste in literature is the same and so is our age. We have so much in common."

Kaneki smiled back at her as they continued on their way, passing a pair of high school girls heading their direction. Kaneki swore one of the two had looked familiar, but he was busy focusing on other things. Much larger things.

The pair continued to walk until they made their way to a fork in the road. _I guess this is where we part ways… _Kaneki thought, disappointed. "Thank you for today."

"No, thank you! I had fun!" Rize replied.

A comfortable silence settled between them.

"Well, I live this way so…" Kaneki spoke up reluctantly, not really wanting to end the date.

At that, Rize began to look nervous, balling her fist tightly and placing it to her chin. "Actually, I live past the Aqua Building. Where the recent ghoul attack took place. I'm sorry to ask but… can you accompany me? It's been bothering me so much that I can barely sleep at night."

"O-of course," Kaneki replied, with a reassuring smile.

"Really?" she asked, a hopeful look on her face.

"Yeah, I'll take you home!"

And so, Kaneki accompanied Rize on her walk home, as they swapped stories of their past, including an incident involving Hide and some bottle rockets. Eventually, the couple made it to a construction site, where Rize abruptly stopped and grabbed Kaneki's arm, pressing it against herself.

Naturally, Kaneki went beat red as he looked towards her, "R-Rize?"

"It's strange, isn't it?" she said, looking towards him, "That what started you and me walking together on this date was the work of Sen Takatsuki? It's kind of amazing…"

Suddenly, Rize pressed herself against him, nuzzling her head into his chest. His heart began to beat fast, and he felt a rush of adrenaline as he looked at her and she looked up at him with those big, pretty eyes. _Oh my god! Oh my god, is this actually happening?!_

"Ken," she said, looking up at him, "The truth is, that I've noticed the way you've been looking at me…"

Suddenly, Kaneki felt embarrassed as he recalled how many times he'd watched her when she was reading in the coffee shop. He realized how weird it was of him, but she was just so pretty that it was hard to look away. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around him and began to whisper into his ear.

"The truth is," she began softly, then quickly sank her teeth into the crook of Kaneki's neck, "I've been watching you too!"

Kaneki felt his muscle and skin being ripped from his body as Rize pulled her head away from him, taking a chunk of him with her and letting him fall back on to the ground, clutching his gushing neck. _She- she bit me!?_ Was all he could think of as he looked up at her from the floor, to see her giggling cutely at him. Then, he noticed her eyes all black and red, as she looked down at him with a hunger in them. _Those eyes!_

"Oh no, are you alright?" she asked in between insane giggles. "Hey, Ken… There's a scene in The Black Goat's egg that I really like," she started as she began to clutch her face, her eye's showing from in between her fingers. "It's the scene the scene where The Black Goat rips out the entrails of a man trying to run away! And no matter how many times I read that part, it always gets me so excited!" she said as she licked his blood from around her mouth. "You understand don't you, Kaneki? That _I _am a Ghoul?!"

Kaneki suddenly found his legs and spun around, rising to his feet and taking off down the side walk. _What is this? What is this? What is this? What is this? What did she say!? A GHOUL!?_

Suddenly, he felt something wrap around his ankle, trip him up, and drag him back towards her. Kaneki looked back to see Rize now had some kind of appendages emerging from her back, moving about like scaly tentacles.

"Got ya!" she said, in a sing song voice. "Say, Ken, do you know how it feels to have a Ghoul's Kagune move around in your stomach, scrambling up your insides? Just relax and I'll show you!"

Instinctively, Kaneki grabbed a pen that had fallen from his pocket and onto the floor, and tried stabbing Rize with it, aiming for her eye, to which she quickly used the tentacle she had caught him with to block it.

Taking advantage of the situation, Kaneki took off, trying once again, desperately, to escape. However, it wasn't long before he felt a sharp pain as the right side of his abdomen was ripped through by one of the tentacles and the college student felt his legs fall out from underneath him.

Suddenly, he was being flung through the air, into the concrete barrier blocking off the construction site, where he slumped against it, feeling the life fade from his body. Oddly enough, he felt calm. He wasn't scared, or worried, he just felt the throbbing in his abdomen and his eyelids grow heavy as they slowly closed. Rize was saying something about him looking tasty, when he heard a loud crash. He tried to see what had happened, but he couldn't stay conscious any longer. He passed out.

(Some Weeks Later)

As the midday sun pierced through his window, Ken laid back on his mattress as he continued to read _The Black Goats Egg_. It had been a week since Kaneki's release from the hospital and he still hadn't told a soul about the true nature of how he'd ended up in that condition. He hadn't told anyone Rize was a Ghoul. Surprisingly, the topic had never come up; he had simply awoken in Kanou General attached to an I.V. drip. Overall, he had made more or less a complete recovery.

However, there was still one small thing that was bugging him. His sense of taste had been off. It had not left him, but it had altered. At first, he thought it had just been the hospital food, but upon doing a little research Kaneki had discovered that most of the reviews on the hospital sight had found the food delicious, at least in comparison to other hospitals. Kaneki had begun to wonder if he was just a picky eater.

Eventually he voiced his concerns to doctor Kanou – the hospitals namesake himself and the very dotor who had operated on him. He had surmised that the trauma and shock was responsible for Kaneki's change in taste and that it would eventually return to normal. So, Kaneki waited eagerly for that day to come. However, he was surprised to find he was beginning to lose his appetite entirely. He went entire days without even thinking of food, and the sight of it even made him a little sick.

Then, a small vibration on the edge of his mattress caught his attention, prompting him to shift his gaze from the novel. It was a text from Hide inviting him out to go eat at Big Girl. Kaneki's stomach lurched at the thought and for a moment that scared him. He used to love to eat at Big Girl with Hide – it was an American style restaurant that served delicious hamburger steak and not to mention had a lot of pretty waitresses too. Truthfully, Kaneki wished he could say no, but considering that he hadn't seen Hide once since he'd woken up in the hospital and it would be rude to blow him off, he figured he could bare it. _I'll just have to take small bites._

(-)

Kaneki eventually made his way to Big Girl, where he found Hide waiting outside on a public bench. The orange haired boy greeted him loudly to which Kaneki responded with a meek wave. The two made their way inside and got situated at a window seat and ordered.

"Took you long enough," Hide commented as they waited for their dishes.

Kaneki smiled apologetically, "Sorry, I – I'm still not feeling all that great."

"Nah, it's fine," Hide reassured Kaneki, "I was just worried you got lost or something. Or Maybe a Ghoul got you on the way here!" Hide teased.

Kaneki paled a bit at that. Ghouls had been something of a hobby for Hide as of late. He guessed it was because of the incident at the Aqua Building all those weeks ago. For Kaneki, however, Ghouls were something he would rather not talk about at the moment. The mere mentioning of them made him recall the feeling of having his flesh ripped into.

"Anyway," Hide changed the subject, "Your doctor took a lot of flak, didn't he? That was all they were talking about over the news, radio, podcasts, or whatever!"

"Yeah, they said it was a problem performing a transplant without the consent of the hospital board or the bereaved family."

"But, that girl didn't have any family, did she? And from what I read, it seems she was dead on impact…" Hide trailed off, remembering who exactly he was talking to. "Oh, sorry."

"No," Kaneki said, "It's fine." It still felt odd to him… Knowing that he had another person's organs inside of him. His own had been damaged beyond repair, and so they had to transfer Rize's some of organs into him. He… didn't know how he felt about that. On one hand, it sometimes made him feel nauseas knowing that dead person's organs were inside of him; but on the other he figured he should be happy to be alive, right?"

Hide paused for a moment, then quickly changed the subject. "So, you know that Nishitani guy in your department at school? Well, I saw his girlfriend today and she looks exactly like that pro wrestler…"

Hide's voice began to fade into the background as Kaneki began to scan the room, seeing if their order was on its way. In fact, it was, the same waitress as before was exiting from the back, holding two plates of hamburger stake. However, it wasn't because of the steak that Kaneki's mouth began to water. It was… It was her legs.

The way her thighs bulged slightly over her thigh high socks and her pale skin reflected the ceiling lights. The way her thighs rubbed together ever so slightly as she made her way towards them. Kaneki hadn't even realized it but, droll had begun to form on the edge of his mouth.

"Hey, Kaneki!" Hide called to him, snapping him out of it. "You're totally ignoring my interesting story here!"

"N-no…" Kaneki replied, "I was listening. You got a girlfriend that looks like a pro wrestler. Congrats, Hide."

"Ha ha," Hide commented, sarcastically.

Then, the waitress appeared again, placing their orders on the table and thanking them for their patronage. She set Kaneki's plate in front of him and he began to feel cold sweat forming on his body. Uneasily, he took a pair of chopsticks and picked at the meat, taking the tiniest bit he could while still taking enough to chew and dipping it into the side sauce that came with the dish. With shaking hands, he put the hamburger into his mouth and began to chew.

Almost immediately, a rush of disgusting flavors assaulted his taste buds. _It tastes just like raw pig intestines! _He thought as he felt the contents of his stomach rumble up his esophagus and he threw up all over the table.

"Kaneki?!" Hide exclaimed with a bit of disgust in his voice, "What's wrong, man!?"

Kaneki sat there, hunched over for a bit, as he breathed heavily, hanging his head over the plate as saliva and bile dripped from out of his mouth. He then grabbed his water and took a large drink of it, hoping to wash it down and get the taste out of his mouth.

Then, embarrassment overtook him as he realized what he'd just done. He'd just vomited all over his food in public. His face turned red and he kept his gaze on his hands. "I-I'm sorry, Hide," he apologized, mumbling to himself as he pulled out his wallet and threw some money on the table and stood up from his seat. "I'm gonna go home, I'm not feeling very well."

(-)

Kaneki didn't go home immediately after that, however. Instead he wandered around the neighborhood, silently observing people, seeing if he could recreate what he had felt when he had been staring at that waitresses' legs. Of course, the idea had crossed his mind – that when he had received Rize's organs, that… maybe he was beginning to inherit her appetite as well. However, as he continued to observe the people around him, no such… feelings resurfaced, and he began to feel a little better. _In Kafka's most famous novel, the plot is about a young man who begins to turn into an insect. He begins to develop a taste for rotten cheese and garbage. I wonder, is the same thing happening to me?_ _Of course not, _he thought as he sat down on a nearby park bench, _that's impossible… right?_

Suddenly, a kick ball rolled to a halt at his feet, prompting Kaneki to shift his attention to it. Absent mindedly, he picked it up and began to examine it. Not long after, a young girl made her way up to him.

"Ah, is this your ball?" he asked, handing it to her.

She smiled happily at him and grabbed the ball, "Yep! Thanks, mister!"

Kaneki smiled for a moment, until an absolutely incredible scent assaulted his nostrils, causing him to begin to salivate. He looked around for a moment, trying to identify where it was coming from until he soon realized that it was coming from the little girl before him. Disgusted at himself, Kaneki stood up quickly and began to put some distance between himself and the girl. _No, no, no, no, no, _he repeated to himself as he escaped the tantalizing scent. _It wasn't coming from her! It was probably the scent of a nearby restaurant that the wind had carried over! That's all!_

Eventually, He found himself in front of a bookstore he frequented often. He didn't even realize it until he was right at the entrance. He truly did like that like that book store. he'd gone to it ever since he was a boy.

In front of the library, was a sign that read. _Sen Takatsuki book signing, October 27__th__! _Kaneki looked at the sign and for a moment, all his worries went away. _M – maybe going to that book signing will be a good change of pace?_

(The Next Day, October 27th)

Eto rushed down the sidewalks of the twentieth ward in a hurry, her hair a tangled messy flapping behind her. She was in deep trouble, that much she knew. Shiono was going to be so furious with her. "Late, late, so very late," she muttered to herself as she transitioned from a run to a brisk walk, awkwardly keeping her head down as she passed by the lengthy line of fans that had formed, waiting for her.

Lifting her head as she rounded the room divider, she spotted Shiono there, arms crossed staring down at her with a scolding look in his eyes. Eto smiled nervously and giggled a little at him. "Am – am I safe, coach?"

Shiono continued to stare at her, annoyed, before he sighed and walked past her, "You're out entirely," he scolded before announcing to her fans that the book signing was starting, followed by the excited murmurs from behind the room divider.

Seating herself behind her desk, Eto sighed, smoothing out her dark blue dress and fixing her tangled green locks as best she could sans a brush. She hadn't meant to be late, really, but she couldn't help it. _I have always been a night – _she cut the thought short with an annoyed look on her face as she thought better of that analogy. _In any case, I've always been hard to get up. I even slept through all my alarms this morning, how embarrassing._

The shape of a heavy-set woman then caught her eye, prompting her to shift into a more sociable, _awake _mood. "Ah, hello there! What book do you have there? Oh, _Dear Kafka_! How fitting you were first in line then!"

The woman smiled awkwardly at her and nervously stuttered a reply out. She was used to this response. Lots of her fans, it seemed, were the shy, timid type. Of course, the occasional outgoing person would appear, and it was always a refreshing sight, typically however, her fans were reserved people. It made her happy, though - to know they took solace in her writing.

The rest of the signing went by relatively quickly and smoothly though, much to her delight. Though it was a little disheartening. She remembered her signings being much lengthier, even to the point that she grew frustrated with the amount of people who came to get their copies signed. Eto was, by nature, a lazy person after all. One would only need to see her apartment to be able to tell. Oh, it was so messy - bowls with left over dried ramen broth littered her desk at her computer and empty water bottles dotted the floor. _Dad would be so mad if he ever came over… _she thought absentmindedly as she handed a signed copy of _Salt and Opium _to another fan, who excitedly left with book in hand.

Shiono then appeared from behind her. "That was all of them, Takatsuki."

"Oh really?" she sighed, "That's a shame. I guess people just don't read as much as they used to."

"Yes," Shiono sighed, "It really is."

"Well, you can go ahead and leave, Shiono. I want to see all of the books that have for sale here!"

Eto began to collect herself when she heard the chime of the door to the book store opening, followed by a disappointed sounding voice. "Oh, I must have missed her…"

Eto looked to Shiono expectantly as the man straightened his tie, before walking out from behind the massive room divider. "Actually, young man, you just barely made it."

A moment later, a rather plain looking, college aged boy emerged, holding a book tightly to himself and pausing for a moment when he saw Eto. The look on his face made the author smile and she tilted her head, waving her hand in a friendly motion at him.

When he moved to her desk, she got a better look at him. He looked quite pale. Unnaturally so. He also had slight bags under his eye's and his clothes seemed a little baggy on him.

The boy lifted the left side of his mouth up a little nervously and extended his arms out towards her, holding a copy of _The Black Goats Egg_. She'd seen a lot of that book today, which made sense considering it was her most recent release and the reviews had been stellar. "Oh? A follower, I see," she spoke, making conversation.

The boy nodded nervously. "I've been following your work since I read Dear Kafka."

She smiled at him. "And who should I make this out to?"

"Ah, it's Ken Kaneki. It's like Friday's 'Kane' and Thurday's 'ki'." He explained, politely and nervously

"For… Ken… Kane… ki!" she said, speaking each word as she wrote it down, "Hmm, wasn't Dazai Osamu born in 'Kaneki Town'?"

"Now that you mention it… He was," Kaneki affirmed her, and she saw a small smile form on his face.

"Heh~" Eto giggled, "What a coincidence!" she then slid the book back to him and grasped the top of his hand gently as he reached to pick it up. She smiled at him and said, "Please, take care of yourself, okay?"

Kaneki looked at her with surprise as his lips parted for a moment. He then nodded with a thin smile and left with the book.

(-)

Kaneki dragged his feet down the sidewalks of the 20th ward, newly signed copy of _The Black Goats Egg _in his book bag, thinking back to the signing. The past few days had been awful. Ever since he'd gotten out of bed Kaneki was starving. But, he couldn't eat anything! Cheese tasted like solidified animal fat, Miso tasted like what he imagined piss would, and even hamburger – his favorite food – had become inedible.

Kaneki blinked and exhaled through his nose. _Don't think about that. Don't think about that. think about… think about miss Takatsuki. _Kaneki felt himself calming down. That had been the one good thing to happen to him lately. The way she wrote was so… personal. Her stories crafted so carefully and interconnected. And, reading her books, it felt like Kaneki had a friend in which he could confide everything in - Things he couldn't talk about with Hide, because he just wouldn't understand. Also, admittedly, Kaneki had always had a crush on Sen Takatsuki. It started when he'd finished _Dear Kafka _and saw her profile on the last page. It had been in black in white, and it wasn't of the best quality, but she looked beautiful.

_She is really pretty in person too, _Kaneki thought as a small smile touched his pale lips. _She's smaller than I thought, but she has such a large presence about her. Her hair was green. I wasn't expecting that, I wonder if it's dyed? Her eyes were too, weren't they? Yes, a very beautiful green. They looked so soft and chewy, just like her lips and her ears. Wouldn't it be great to take a nibble from her neck? Just a pinch? I need to. I need to. I need to. I need flesh, I need __**meat**__. Soft skin in between my teeth, blood running down my throat, I need flesh, I need flesh, __**I want flesh**__!_

Kaneki snapped back to reality as he felt a sudden rush of pain. He'd taken his finger to his mouth and had bit down on it, breaking the skin and drawing blood that now rushed down his hand and into his hoodie sleeve, staining it. Saliva flowed down his chin and onto the collar of his shirt and he noticed the odd looks of people moving past him like a large boulder in the middle of a river, some sending him odd looks. _They all look so good…_

Tears formed in his eyes and he began to run, rushing back to his apartment, hoping to get away from everyone, all of it. As he ran, however, he recalled a program he'd spotted on the tv one day when he was sulking in his room. _'Ghouls can only gather nutrients from eating people. Not to mention their tongues work differently than ours do. When they eat human food, the taste is unbearable to them.' When they eat human food, the taste is unbearable to them: Isn't that what's happening to me!? No! That's crazy! I'm not a ghoul! I can't be a ghoul! That's like something out of a book! It just doesn't happen!_

When Kaneki reached his house, he threw the door open and rushed into his bedroom and threw himself onto the mattress and screamed into it. _But Rize was a ghoul, wasn't she!? And her organs are inside you now! You have a ghoul's stomach! Why else would you be having cravings like that?! Why else wouldn't you be able to eat regular food?!_

Kaneki's eye's widened and he pushed himself off the mattress and began to pace around his apartment, pulling at his hair and mumbling "no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no."

_NO! NO! NO! NO! _He continued to pace wildly around his apartment, as if he were trying to run away. He _wanted_ to run away, right out of his own skin. Then, as he passed his bathroom, he caught a glimpse of something in the mirror. Something on his face. His hands dropped to his side and he slowly walked towards it.

There, glowing brightly like embers on a log, was his eye; sclera black as coal and his iris a blood red, with veins swollen around it. He began to make choking sounds as tears formed in his eyes. "W-What the hell is this?" he asked, in disbelief.

In the reflection, though, behind him, he saw a familiar silhouette, standing there in a pretty white dress, hands folded over one another with a sickening, mad smile on her face. It was her. It was Rize. _It's her fault. She did this to me! She's the reason this happened! _

Letting out a manic scream, Kaneki punched the reflective glass in front of him, watching it crack, and distort his own face. He then spun around quickly, not surprised to see Rize was no longer there anymore and rushed into his kitchen, nearly crashing into the counter.

_If that's true, and the reason I've changed like this is because of Rize, _he thought as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted Hide to come over, so he wouldn't die after this and started digging around for a knife, _I'll just have to cut her out! I'll get a new donor! A human donor! _He told himself as he lifted the end of his hoodie and shirt with his teeth and raised the knife up high above his head. Sweat poured down his forehead as he watched Rize's stomach expand and deflate in response to his elevated breathing and heart rate. _This is the only way! This is the only way! This is the only way! _He repeated to himself as he found himself hesitating. Then, with another crazed scream he drove the knife into himself.

It snapped.

It snapped, and he was completely fine.

Kaneki watched as the end of the knife tumbled onto the floor and felt his legs go out from underneath him. He fell on the floor, tears streaming down his face. _No, no, no, no, no, _he tried to fight the reality of his situation. _What – what the hell am I supposed to do now?_

* * *

**A/N: Hello, everyone! It's been a while since I've written one of these on a story. Anyways, as some of you may have guessed, this is a remake of a story I wrote back in 2015(I think). I wanted to incorporate what I've learned as a writer since then and redo my most popular FanFic. Read and Review, please!**


	2. Chapter 2

Kaneki awoke a few hours later, eyes fluttering open to see the hardwood floor of the kitchen and the broken blade of his knife just a few feet away. Silently, he cursed his consciousness; he had fallen into a dreamless sleep, one he was now wishing that he had ever woken up from.

He was a monster now.

Groaning in pain, he pushed himself up off the floor. His stomach was killing him. _Meat, _he thought as he got to his feet, _I need meat… _Just as the thought had registered in his mind, however, Kaneki gripped his head tightly and shook it. "No! No! No, please! This isn't real!"

Suddenly, his phone vibrated against the counter top, startling him. Kaneki moved to the counter, trying to ignore the pain in his stomach and picked up the phone. He had gotten a reply from Hide.

_Sure man, I'll come over! Sorry it took so long to reply! Busy with homework!_

_Hide _

He suddenly remembered his plot to rip out Rize's stomach and have Hide take him to the emergency room. Then, he looked at the digital clock on his phone. It was ten o'clock at night - Kaneki had sent that text two hours ago.

A bitter grin formed on his lips. _I'm glad that the knife broke, otherwise I would have bled out. _He paused for a moment, then his stomach growled thunderously, and a sharp pain shot through his body. "Shit!" he hissed and doubled over, keeping one hand on the counter and the other clutching his aching gut.

Then, a thought began to form in his mind. _If – if Hide comes over… then I can eat him! _Realizing just what he had plotted for a moment, Kaneki squeezed his eyes shut tight and let out a pained, sorrowful wail as he took his phone and threw it as hard as he could against the wall, where it shattered and broke apart.

Ken slumped against the counter and sank to the floor, holding his head between his Knees and rocking back and forth. He couldn't cry, however. He wanted to, but his tear ducts had dried up. Instead, he just whimpered and curled into a ball.

"What's the matter?" a voice asked from inside his apartment, causing him to suddenly jolt up in fear. There, he saw Rize, smiling sweetly down at him.

"Rize?" he murmured in disbelief as his heart started beating thunderously and more rapidly in his ears.

_ Thump Thump_

Her smile widened, and she said, "You're hungry, aren't you? Why not eat?"

_Thump Thump Thump Thump_

"What?"

_Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump_

"Your friend, Hideyoshi, why not eat him? He'd be easy prey. After all, if you don't, you'll starve, and if you starve, you'll die."

_Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump_

"I – I can't eat Hide! No, no, no, no, no! Leave me alone!" he yelled at her, shutting his eye's tight and pulling on his hair. _Thump Thump_ _Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump… _the sound of his heart beating began to fade away and he opened his eyes.

Rize was gone. He was alone. He had to get out of there before Hide arrived, or he didn't know if he could stop himself from trying to eat his best friend. Quickly scrambling to his feet, Kaneki slipped his shoes on and headed out the door, he had to get away.

(-)

Kaneki had been stumbling through the city, his hoodie drawn over his head, shielding his eyes, as he flowed in and out of lucidity. Where was he going? He didn't even know. He just knew he had to go, he couldn't be around Hide right now… Couldn't be around anyone.

He wasn't sure how much longer he could control himself, however. Scents wafted into his nose against his will and made his mouth water. He was _starving_, but he couldn't kill a person and eat them. He wouldn't let himself. If he did that then… his life as a human would end.

So now, he sat against the back of a building, gripping his head tightly and holding it between his knees as saliva ran down his chin. _Flesh, flesh, flesh, flesh, flesh! _a mantra repeated in his mind as he rocked back and forth against the wall. _Kill a person… _"And eat their flesh!" He screamed out, sitting upright quickly.

Suddenly though, he was back in his right mind. Disgust filled him once again and he let out a miserable whimper before throwing his head down between his legs once more and feeling tears begin to form in his eyes. He remained that way, shivering in fear of himself, for what felt like hours before an incredible and familiar scent made its way into his nose.

It hadn't been like the scents of humans he had been assaulted by so far, it was… different. Similar, but not the same. Kaneki uncurled from the pitiful ball he had rolled up into on the floor and began to sniff the air. _It smells… It smells just like mother's hamburger. _

Curious and starving, he began to track down the scent, stumbling and knocking over trash cans. _Maybe… Maybe its something even I can eat! _he began to hope as he broke into a run, racing through the alleyways and across a street, nearly getting hit by a car.

Finally, he tracked the scent down to where it was the strongest and slowed to a jog. As he rounded a final corner, leading to another alleyway, he was greeted by a horrifying sight. There was no hamburger steak waiting for him, but a group of men, tearing apart a corpse.

_Ghouls…. I – I was lured here by the scent of a corpse!_ Kaneki clutched at his chest and backed up against a wall, slamming the side of his fist into it. _God Dammit! I-I-I! No! I really am a monster!_

"Hey!" one of the Ghouls spat, prompting Kaneki to look at him, fearfully. "Who the hell are you? This is our kill, get your ass outta here!"

Kaneki, suddenly looking at three sets of red and black eyes, felt paralyzed with fear.

"Oi…" one started, stepping forward as he chewed on a severed forearm, "What's up with his eyes? He only has one kakugan! What a freak!"

"Get lost, freak!" said the one furthest away.

"Yeah, piss off or we'll kill you! Get your own food!"

Kaneki, realizing they were giving him the chance to escape, eagerly took it. He took off back the way he came, running from the three other Ghouls, hearing laughter behind him as he did so.

Tears leaked from his eyes again as he began to realize something. _I don't even have a place around other monsters…_

(Two Days later)

Eto smiled as she set down her coffee; her father's brew really was the best. She had decided to drop by Anteiku with a book she'd purchased at the bookstore she'd had her signing at the other day. It was a foreign book that had been translated into Japanese from Russian about humans living in the Moscow metro tunnels after a nuclear holocaust had devastated the planet. In the book, the survivors had gone crazy from the years in the underground and you couldn't really know who you could trust down there. It reminded her of the 24th ward.

Now, however, the shop was closing up and unless she wanted her father to make her stay and help, she figured it was time to say her goodbyes for the night and head back home. Finishing up the chapter and placing the book in her bag, Eto stood and strolled to door, but stopped after placing her hand on the knob and turning to the staff.

"Alright, everyone, I think I'm going to go head home now," she announced waving her hand, "Bye, Kaya, Enji!"

The pair waved politely back at her. "See you next time, green," Enji replied, with a bright smile.

"Touka, you work on that classical literature grade! Dad's shown me the report card!" The author called out to the back.

From the back room, Eto heard a groan of embarrassment and annoyance causing her to smile humorously. "Bye, dad!" she called up the stairs leading to the second floor. However, just as she was about to slide her way out the door, the sounds of her father's footsteps on the wooden stairs caused her to stop.

"You aren't going to stay and help clean up, Eto?" he asked with a small smirk on his face.

Eto paused for a moment, then looked over to her father, threw her hand in front of her in a politely dismissive manner, and in one breath she said, "Oh, you know I – I've got a deadline to meet, so I really can't help you tonight, otherwise I would and, you know, I was never any good at cleaning anyway, okay bye!" and with that she closed the door and made her way out of Anteiku, walking at a brisk pace down the sidewalk.

She didn't get far, however, before she began to hear growling coming from the alleyway she had been passing in front of. She listened closer and soon recognized the familiar sounds of flesh being ripped from bone. A frown crossed her face as she looked from left to right, making sure there was no one paying attention; thankfully, at this hour, the streets in this part of the 20th were mostly empty. She sighed then entered the dark alleyway.

As she neared the back of the building, she saw a dark silhouette, crouched over and digging into something. An annoyed sigh escaped from her. "You know that hunting isn't allowed near Anteiku, right? And anyways, if you were hungry you should have asked for a package from the shop, they would have -" she stopped when the Ghoul suddenly turned and looked at her, immediately something caught her attention. There was no body and the Ghoul was holding his own, bleeding, gnawed at forearm.

"Stay away!" The Ghoul yelled at her, and backed up from her, pulling his hoodie over his eyes. "Please, I don't want to hurt you!"

"Are you alright?" she asked, taking a step forward, ignoring his unconvincing warning. _It's not like you could do much to me anyway, from the looks of you._

"Stay back!" He yelled again, before letting out an anxious whimper and taking off down the other way, still holding his forearm.

Eto was behind him in the blink of an eye, grabbing him by the hood of his jacket, causing him to fall at her feet. "Hey, what's the matter?" she asked, "Why are you chewing up your arm like that-" She stopped as surprise dawned on her face when he looked up at her.

"A single Kakugan? You're a half-breed!" she said, in surprise. _Another half-ghoul? _she thought as he began to struggle to free his hoodie from her grasp. It was then that she recognized something else about him – his identity.

"Ken Kaneki?" she asked, causing him to stop cold and look at her with a wide-eyed fear.

"M-Miss Takatsuki?" He murmured for a moment as the two locked eyes.

Suddenly, Kaneki ripped away from her grasp and continued to bolt down the alleyway but was surprised as he rounded the corner to find Sen Takatsuki's foot tripping him up, causing him to stumble, and fall face first on the dirty floor of the alleyway. He tried to scramble to his feet once again but found himself pinned to the ground by the weight of Takatsuki Sen, who sat on his back and pinned his arms down to hold him in place.

"Please, miss Takatsuki!" he pleaded once more, struggling underneath her surprisingly strong arms. "Let me go, I don't want to hurt you! I-I'm a monster!" he cried and let his face fall against the alleyway floor as he whimpered. "I don't… want to hurt anyone…" he added as he stopped struggling and continued to sob silently. "I'm all alone… I don't know what to do!"

He felt Takatsuki release his arms and stand up from his back, but he didn't try to run again, he couldn't do anything but sob as he laid on the floor. He listened as the sound of her shoes echoed in the alleyway. She was going to turn him in to the CCG - he knew it - after all, it's what _he _would have done.

Then, unexpectedly, she crouched in front of him and took his hand, just like she had at the bookstore, prompting him to look up at her with his tearful eyes. Oddly enough, he found her smiling at him gently with one green eye and one black and red eye. "What about me?" she asked gently, "Am I a monster too, Ken Kaneki?"

Kaneki looked up at her, dumbfounded. "Y-You're a Ghoul as well?" he asked in disbelief.

"Mm-hmm," she hummed her response, "Come with me to Anteiku, and we'll take care of you there, Okay? You don't have to be alone."

Kaneki paused for a moment, reluctant. His experiences with Ghouls until now hadn't been pleasant but… he trusted Sen Takatsuki, more than he did himself currently and she was offering to help him. _Ghouls don't eat other Ghouls… right?_

"A-alright." He agreed, voice low.

(-)

Touka let her mind wander as she scrubbed down one of the tables in the shop. She had been hoping Eto wouldn't have found out about her Classic lit grade, because she knew that she was not going to stop hearing about it until she got it up. _Why do I even need to learn how to read that old crap anyway, _she thought bitterly, _no one even writes like that anymore… _

Suddenly, she heard the door chime ring, and sighed a little in annoyance. _Geez, people think they can just walk in to any restaurant at closing time, don't they? _"Hey," she started, trying to hide the annoyance in her voice, "Sorry, but we were actually closing…" she trailed off seeing Eto and a boy, who was clutching his forearm with his head held down. _Who is that? I swear I've seen him somewhere before…_

"Hmm?" she heard Enji ask, "What are you doing back here, green? Who's this?"

There was a pause, as if he were waiting for the newcomer to answer him, when he didn't, Eto answered for him. "He's a Ghoul and he needs some help," she put it simply, "Where's dad?"

"Upstairs," Kaya answered, emerging from the back and shutting off the lights. Immediately, she took notice of the ragged state the boy was in. His clothes were worn looking, his face was dirty, his hair looked like it hadn't been washed recently, and judging by the way he was holding his forearm, it looked like he'd been attacked. "What happened to _him_?"

"He's hungry and a little lost," Eto answered as she started up the stairs.

As they neared the top, realization dawned on Touka's face and she blurted out, "Hey…" the boy turned to look at her, "Didn't… Rize eat you? How are you still…"

At that he looked away from the girl and Eto continued taking him upstairs. _That guy's a human! _She thought frantically, walking up to the counter to tell her elders. _What is Eto thinking?!_

"Hey!" she said, in hushed urgency, earning the attention of Enji and Kaya. "That guy's a human! I've seen him here before and the other day I saw him out with Rize! He was going to be her next meal!"

"That so?" Kaya asked, unperturbed.

Enji, who had taken up sweeping the floor paused and leaned on the broom handle. "Sure, didn't smell like a human," he remarked with a thoughtful smile on his face.

Touka looked at the two as if they had lost their minds. How were they being so calm about this?

(-)

Kaneki sat alone in the employee lounge on the second floor of Anteiku. Sen Takatsuki had sat him down and went to talk with the manager of the coffee shop. Apparently, they were acquainted somehow, she hadn't explained much to him, she had only told him to wait there. So now Kaneki sat, left hand over his right forearm, which he had torn into hungrily just moments ago. He couldn't help it, he had just been so hungry... and he hadn't wanted to hurt anyone, so he followed his mother's advice; _'It's better to be hurt than to hurt others.' _Honestly though, he had been surprised to find that he was edible - at least to the extent that he tasted better than regular food, but that didn't mean he had tasted good by any means. He was just better than nothing.

At that thought, he decided to examine the wound he'd made in his own forearm, to satiate his hunger and calm down his stomach, which had been torturing him for the past three days. Removing his hand, he was greeted by a surprising sight. His arm was healing itself. He watched as tendons and veins stitched themselves back together and muscle continued to grow, followed by skin that was slowly crawling over it all. His lips began to tremble, and he felt his eye's water before he placed his face into the palm of his uninjured arm and sucked back the whimper that was forming in his throat. _I really am a monster now…._

The sound of the door creaking open alerted him, causing him to shift his gaze to the entrance. In walked Sen and the manager, a taller, older man, with squinty eyes and slicked back white hair, wearing a uniform similar to that round-faced waiters down stairs. Sen smiled at Ken warmly when their eyes met and took a seat next to him, setting down a cup of coffee on the low table in front of them. "Here," she said, "I made it for you."

Kaneki looked down at the cup, catching his reflection in it and seeing that black and red eye staring back at him. Was she playing a joke on him? He couldn't drink this, it was… normal.

"It's okay," she said, "It's not bad. It's not as good as my father's, but it's passable."

Kaneki looked at her, then back to the cup… "I – I can't…"

She looked at him with a raised brow. "Of course, you can. Why not?"

Kaneki gulped, swallowing back the lump that had begun to form in his throat. _Is she playing with me? I thought she was a Ghoul… _

"It's as I thought…" The manager spoke from the couch across, gaining the attention of Kaneki and Sen. "Boy… Ken Kaneki, you were a human until recently, weren't you?"

Though his voice held no malice or ill intent, Kaneki felt cold suddenly and his eyes widened in surprise and fear. The man, seeing this, gave him a gentle smile and said, "Ah, forgive me - I haven't been spying on you. I had overheard your plans with Rize Kamishiro a few weeks ago," He paused, pointed to his temple, and with a smile said, "I have a very good memory… When the news spread of Rize's death and the steal beam accident involving two young college students I put two and two together. The patient who received the organs of the crushed woman was you… Wasn't it? And that crushed woman was Rize – a Ghoul."

Kaneki lowered his eyes and nodded solemnly, not noticing the look of surprise on Sen's face.

"Ken, have you… eaten, since your surgery."

Kaneki shook his head. "I… I've been starving… But, I can't do it. I can take someone's life like that… I'd rather starve than hurt someone just to feed myself."

"I see… It must have been hard for you, then," he commented. "Please, enjoy the coffee. Throughout history, it has proven to be the one thing we Ghouls can enjoy alongside humans."

Kaneki looked down at the cup once again and tentatively picked it up with his undamaged arm. Bringing it up to his mouth, he inhaled the scent and was surprised to notice that it actually smelt the same as before his surgery. Reluctantly, he brought the china to his lips and drank a small sip.

His eyes widened when the coffee touched his tongue and a familiar taste greeted him. He felt tears begin to leak from his eyes once again as it felt as if he had been reunited with a long-lost friend. "I can drink it!" he said, his voice breaking with happiness, "I – I can drink it!"

"Yes," the manager said, "Just remember not to put any creamer or sugar into it… Those are still things we cannot ingest."

Kaneki closed his eye and smiled genuinely for the first time in a while. "Thank you."

"I've also brought this for you," The manager continued, reaching into his apron pocket and sliding a small, black container across the table, where it stopped just before reaching Kaneki. "They are sugar cubes," he explained, as Kaneki opened the container, revealing a jumble of them. "I make these especially for Ghouls. Mix them with your coffee and it should help curb your hunger."

Kaneki, wanting to test the theory as soon as possible, dropped a couple into his coffee and used his finger to stir it about until he was satisfied that they had dissolved. Then, he greedily slurped down the beverage. Setting the cup down, he sighed. His stomach began to calm down and release its painful grip on him.

"Looks like it's working," spoke Sen from beside him, as she gripped his face and turned him to face her. She rubbed her thumb across his left eye and smiled, "Your eye's back to normal."

Kaneki blinked in surprise, then reached into his pocket, grabbing for his phone to see for himself, until he remembered shattering it against the wall two days prior. _That's right… I'll have to get a new one._

"But, remember," the manager said, as he took another package from the pockets of his apron and slid it towards Kaneki, "That will only serve to _curb _your hunger. Eventually, you will have to _eat._"

Kaneki looked down at the package before him and frowned, setting down the black container and picking up the wrapped-up parcel in front of him. He knew what it was already, but the feeling of flesh through the package confirmed it. "I… understand."

A silence settled over the room for a moment as Kaneki continued to look at the parcel in his hands. _This is my life now? Eating the flesh of the dead? _He paused, setting down the parcel and closing his eyes. _Well, as long as I'm not the one, killing them I should be able to live like this… eventually. _

"Well now," the manager said rising from his seat and folding his hands behind his back, "It's beginning to get late, and we'll be closing soon," He made his way to the door to the of the lounge and paused just after opening it, shifting his gaze back to Ken. "If you need anymore, do not hesitate to ask."

Kaneki stood, nodding. "T-thank you," he bowed slightly before collecting his new… food and making his way towards the door.

"Wait a minute!" Sen called to him just before he reached it. "I'll take you home! It's got to be nerve wracking walking home alone carrying all _that_, right?"

Kaneki paused for a moment, looking at her with surprise. _Why is she being so generous? She barely knows me. _

She smiled at him, "You wouldn't mind, would you, Ken?"

For a moment Kaneki felt a small blush crawl across his face as Sen smiled at him. He was suddenly reminded of the small crush he had on her. Then, it began to hit him; _This is Sen Takatsuki! _Blush deepening, Kaneki scratched his cheek sheepishly and stuttered out, "N-not at all."

"Good!" she said grabbing him by the wrist of his gnawed forearm, and out of instinct he recoiled, hissing in pain. He realized, however, he hadn't felt any pain. Looking at his arm in confusion, he noticed that the wound had closed completely. He stayed still for a moment blankly staring at it with a slight frown. _Monster._

"Is… something the matter?" The manager asked from the door, a look of concern on his elderly features.

Kaneki, shaken from his space out, looked back to the two Ghouls… the two monsters… his saviors and shook his head, "N-no, nothing… I'm just tired," he said, walking past the two of them. Sen and her father exchanged a glance before she hurried down the hall to catch up with him.

(-)

Kaneki kept his eyes on his feet as he and Sen Takatsuki made their way back to his apartment. In his hoodie's front pocket, he held the package of human meat as well as the can of those sugar cubes. The past few days had felt like a blur to him, wandering in and out of alleyways, avoiding people all together, and eventually chewing on his own flesh to keep himself from starving. It was madness and none of it felt real.

Even more surreal was the fact that he was now being walked home by Sen Takatsuki, his favorite author and, as he had recently discovered, Ghoul. Funnily enough, as he thought back to her other works, he realized that a lot of the characters in her horror novels could have been described as 'Ghoul-like'; Kaneki had just never noticed it before. Ghouls had never been part of his _life _before.

"You're awfully quiet," Sen spoke, breaking the silence as they rounded a sidewalk corner.

Kaneki looked to her, then looked back down to his feet. "S-sorry," he mumbled, "I just-,"

"I understand," she assured him. "It must be really shocking, having your body change so drastically like that… Kind of like going through puberty again, I bet!" she added, with a amused giggle.

"I-I suppose," Kaneki replied, scratching his cheek, unsure how to respond.

Sen looked to him and noticed his awkward expression. "Ah, sorry, it's just that I've never met another one-eyed before… So, I'm just a little curious."

"A what?" Kaneki asked, looking back to her.

"A one-eyed Ghoul," she whispered in his ear, "That's what we are - Ghouls who are also humans. That's why, as opposed to an ordinary Ghoul, we only have one eye that changes."

_Ghouls that are also Humans? _"So," Kaneki began, "How did you get turned into a Ghoul?"

Sen took a breath and tilted her head to one side. "Well," she sighed, "In my case, it was a little different; I was born this way."

"Born? You mean only one of your parents was a Ghoul?"

"Yep," she replied with a nod, "You met him back there in the coffee shop, the manager."

Kaneki blinked in surprise at the revelation. _That's right, she asked for her father when we walked in… _"Oh, I didn't realize."

"Well, we don't particularly look alike, I take after my mother in the looks department… don't know where the green hair came from, though."

"Your mother?" Kaneki asked, "Does she work at the coffee shop too?"

Sen shook her head in response, "No, she's… not around anymore…"

Kaneki looked over to her and saw a smile on her face that looked a little sad. "I-I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to… My mother died too, so I understand how you feel."

Eto looked over to him, "It's fine. It was before I could remember… I guess that's just another thing we have in common, huh?" she offered, and Kaneki gave a weak smile before a frown dawned on his face.

The two walked in silence for a moment before Kaneki recognized a familiar overpass and said, "Let's make a left here, its just down the street."

When the pair reached his apartment, which was on the ground level with the entry way illuminated by a nearby streetlight, Kaneki stopped and turned to Sen. "T-thank you, miss Takatsuki… For everything, tonight."

"You're very welcome, Ken," she paused and smiled brightly at him, "But, don't I get a kiss before our date ends?"

Kaneki's face reddened.

She placed a hand on his shoulder and giggled a bit, "Just kidding." She paused and looked him over a little, "Just like dad said though; if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask… I'll drop by later to see how you're doing. In the meantime, get yourself cleaned up a little, okay?"

Kaneki blinked in confusion, then looked down and noticed just how worn and dirty his clothes had become. His hair also felt greasy and uncomfortable. He smiled sheepishly and nodded.

"I'll drop by later to see how you're doing, okay?" Eto told him more than asked, then spun on her heels and took her leave. "See you soon then, Ken!"

Kaneki watched as she disappeared into the city streets before he registered what she had told him. _Sen Takatsuki is coming over?! I-I gotta clean!_

(-)

Eto opened up the door to her apartment and flicked the switch on the wall, causing the lights in the kitchen, but not the rest of her home, to come to life. It was a nice place. It was spacious with a high ceiling despite there being only three rooms to it. The living space, which the inner balcony double as a bedroom in, a shower and bathroom, and a laundry room. There was also a nice, large window that overlooked Tokyo and at night it was an especially beautiful scene. All in all, Eto loved her apartment, even if it got a bit lonely at times, considering she was on the edge of the 20th and Anteiku was further near the center.

Sighing, she slid her purse off her shoulder and fell into her bed. _Ken Kaneki, huh? _she thought as she sat upwards and looked at an angle into the large window that held Tokyo in its view. _What is he? _

She fell back against the bed and looked to the ceiling, hidden in the darkness as light didn't reach it at night. She mulled over that question for a while, as she stared blankly above her. Then, she rolled over to her side and closed her eyes. "Interesting… You're interesting, Ken Kaneki," she murmured and let sleep claim her with a comfortable smile.


	3. Chapter 3

Kaneki sat in his living room, doors locked, blinds shut, and television on in the background as he held the lump of packaged, dead flesh in his hands. It had been a few days since the manager of Anteiku had given it to him. Sen Takatsuki's father, who would have thought? _And a Ghoul… _The revelation echoed in his mind. Furthermore, so was Sen herself. How many times had he walked into that coffee shop as a human, blissfully unaware of the true nature of its owner? What of the rest of them? Surely, they were Ghouls as well, right? None of them had been surprised to see his pulsing red eye. _Well, apart from that one girl... _He had to wonder then; had any of them ever thought about eating him?

Kaneki smirked grimly for a moment, before his mind shifted back to the beige package in his hand. He had even considered getting it out because the sugar cubes he had been using to curb his hunger since then had started to lose their miraculous effects. The time when he would have no other choice was drawing nearer and nearer.

So, he had thought, perhaps he should try it? Just a nibble, that's all. Just to get used to the feeling of having human flesh in between his teeth. However, as he held the package in his hands, feeling the soft, tender flesh under the wrapping paper, a thought popped into his head. _What am I doing?! _Suddenly, Kaneki was aware of what he was considering. Eating human flesh? How could he!? It had almost happened so naturally too! It had almost seemed so reasonable! Kaneki let out an angry, sad, scream and tossed the lump of flesh away, watching as it landed in the corner of his living room. _I'm losing myself! _He thought in anguish and gripped the sides of his head. He didn't want to give in.

But, his gut _ached_. It tortured Kaneki constantly, punishing him for not eating anything. It had been three months… Three months, or perhaps longer since Rize's stomach had had any food. Kaneki wondered if it had tortured its original owner this much when it was hungry? Kaneki remembered, when his mother was still alive, not having enough money for food, and his stomach would groan in hunger, but it was never, _never _this bad.

_**Meat…**_the thought creeped into his mind once again, intrusively. _**I need meat. **_

_No, _Kaneki thought, trying to subdue his hunger. _I can't do it! Even though I'm A Ghoul… I'm also a Human! _

His stomach growled loudly and angrily at Kaneki, as it twisted itself, causing him to double over on the couch. His eye began to shift into that unholy red and black, and Saliva pooled in his mouth as he became hyper aware of the scent of dead flesh. _**Flesh.**_

Kaneki let out a whimper and laid out on the couch, rolling to face the back cushions and gripping his gut. _Please… I'm scared…_

"Aww, what's the matter?" he heard a familiar, voice ask him. One that he still heard in his nightmares.

Kaneki's eye's shot open and he looked upward to see Rize leaning over the back of his couch, resting her head in her hands, smiling sweetly at him. "Still fasting, are you?"

Kaneki let out an angry, fearful grunt, as he clenched his teeth and rolled over, burying his face into the seat cushions. This wasn't enough to deter Rize's spirit, however. "Why do you refuse to live?" she asked, directly into his right ear, curiosity in her voice.

Still, Kaneki did not reply.

"You can smell it, can't you? That sweet, alluring, _arousing _aroma? Just like a cartoon, you can feel the scent tickle your nostrils, stroke your chin, and seduce you – oh it'll put any stake to shame!" She paused, then whispered, "Come on now, Ken, just a _taste_."

Kaneki rolled off the couch and began to crawl to the corner of his living space, Kakugan shining brightly as it focused on the lump of flesh resting in the corner. Saliva pooled in his mouth and slid down his chin as a manic smile spread across his face.

"It's been prepared extra special, just for you~," Rize cooed in his ear, as he gripped the package greedily and began to sniff it. It smelt so delicious. Just like mother's hamburger steak. The very thought of that familiar, nostalgic taste lingered in his mouth and drove him insane. He was just about to tear into the package when -

_Vrr_

A sound alerted Kaneki, causing him to pop up in surprise. _What is that? _He thought, frantically scanning the room.

_Vrr, _it sounded again, this time prompting Kaneki to shift his gaze to the low coffee table just across from him. It was the replacement phone he'd bought just the other day. He had had to ask his aunt for the cash and she wasn't too happy about it, but she ended up giving it to him anyway.

Weakly, Ken extended his arm out and picked it up, recognizing the number as Hide's as he hadn't taken the time to set his contact name. Hide had been texting him a lot recently, asking to hang out, but Kaneki had been blowing him off – making up excuses to why he couldn't hang out. He felt as if Hide was starting to catch on, because his invitations had become less frequent and less friendly.

Kaneki wanted to hang out with Hide. Truly, he did. He wanted to forget about his troubles for a short time, but… That would only make things worse. Kaneki couldn't be around people at the moment, he… he was afraid. What if he tried to eat Hide? He had already unintentionally considered it and that had scared him to no end. For that reason, he had been avoiding going to classes altogether. Not just to avoid Hide, but to avoid people in general.

To add to his list of problems his grades had already begun to slip during his time in the hospital and he was dangerously close to failing as it was now. His life was falling apart at the seems and it felt as if he had no control. _It would have been better if I died with Rize that night._

Gritting his teeth, angry at himself for his lack of self-control, Kaneki tossed the lump of flesh away once again and curled into a ball on the floor, bringing his knees to his chest and burying his face into them and feeling tears streamed down his face once again. It was all he could do.

_I'll just starve… _Kaneki thought as he sobbed on the floor.

(The Following Day)

Eto hummed to herself as she headed down the street to Ken Kaneki's apartment. It had been a few days since she'd introduced him to Anteiku and she wanted to see how he was holding up. Truth be told, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about him. It was beginning to interfere with her new novel as well. It was just so interesting. _Becoming a Ghoul… Becoming your own natural predator… What does that feel like? _

The half-Ghoul arrived at the door of Kaneki's apartment, rapped her knuckles on the wood, and waited for the door to open. A few moments passed and there was no response. Eto frowned in confusion. _Is he not home? _she asked herself, looking to the windows and finding the blinds drawn. Eto then lifted herself on her toes and closed one eye, peering into tiny peephole built into the door. It was fairly dark in his apartment, the kitchen lights were on at least, but she didn't spot Ken anywhere. She frowned in resignation. _Looks like it… That's a shame._

She was already turning to leave before she heard the door locks clicking and the door itself open. "Ah, miss Takatsuki!" Ken greeted her with a surprised, but pleasant smile on his face. "I-it's nice to see you! I – I was wondering if you were actually going to come or not..."

Eto greeted Kaneki with a smile, and a small amount of surprise. She had been sure he wasn't home. His blinds were shut, and his lights were off. It's not like it was raining out, or even cloudy – it was bright and sunny. _Maybe he just prefers the dark, _she surmised. "You're not going to invite me in? Ken, I'm hurt," Eto teased, faking a pout, "And here I came all this way with a present for you."

Kaneki flushed in embarrassment, "Ah – I'm sorry! Please, come in!"

Eto smiled at the blushing boy. "Thank you," she said as she walked into his apartment. It was a nice little place he had. It was small, but more than roomy enough for a single person, and it was well kept – much more so than her dumpster of an apartment. _I wonder if he enjoys cleaning? _

"Sorry, it's a bit messy, I wasn't expecting you to actually come," Kaneki explained, from behind her as he scratched his cheek shyly.

Eto turned and looked at him and giggled. _This is messy to him? _"It's quite alright, it still puts my apartment to shame by far."

Kaneki paused for a moment as he looked at her. She was wearing a shirt that appeared far too large for her with a black skirt that reached her calves underneath. Her hair flowed messily down her back, parting at her shoulders a bit and curling at its ends, framing her face. A strange feeling filled him at that moment, igniting a fire in his face. He looked away from her and headed to the kitchen. "I-I'll put some coffee on," he said quickly, embarrassed, "Please, have a seat."

Eto smiled at her hosts skittishness, her eye's tracking him as he made his way to the kitchen and disappeared slightly behind a wall that blocked the view of it from the living room. _Oh, how cute! he has a crush on Sen Takatsuki! _She thought with amusement as she sat down on a recliner situated at such an angle that the occupant could see both the couch and the television at once. _Of course, he wouldn't be the first fan to… _she thought, recalling some rather inappropriate and unwanted attention she'd garnered before.

A moment later, Ken reappeared, and the sounds of coffee being brewed played in the background. Situating himself on the far end of the nearest cushion of the couch, Kaneki began the conversation. "So, miss Takatsuki… What brings you here?"

"I just came by to see how you were getting on," she answered, examining him. He was slightly less pale than when she'd last seen him, so that was a good sign. _His clothes are still a little loose, however. Unless he's into buying sizes that are too big for him like me, he's still underweight. I wonder if he's eaten that package dad gave him, yet? _"So, _how are _you doing?"

"Oh," Kaneki replied, looking down to his hands that had rested on his knees, "I'm… better. Those sugar cubes your father gave me really help a lot!" he said, with a smile. He paused and his smiled receded a tiny bit. "Of course, if its not too much trouble for your father, I'm running out of them and I may need some more soon."

"Oh, of course not!" Eto replied, "He makes them quite regularly, you should stop on by the coffee shop soon!" _So, he __**hasn't **__eaten the meat yet, _she garnered through intuition.

"Just to remind you though, Ken; those sugar cubes aren't a solution to your hunger. Eventually, you are going to have to eat flesh," she explained, matter-of-factly watching as his face momentarily shifted to one of fear and embarrassment, like a child being caught in a lie.

"I…" Kaneki seemed to pause for a moment, then nodded, "I understand."

Eto smiled gently at him. "Here," she said, reaching into her bag and pulling out a thin, white eye-patch. "This is the present I told you about."

Kaneki blinked in confusion, "An eye-patch?"

"Mm," Eto hummed, "You can't control your Kakugan, right? So, I bought you this eye-patch! This way, even if you start to get hungry in public, no one will be able to tell."

Kaneki blinked at her, "Kakugan? You mean… the thing with my left eye?"

Eto nodded. "That's the scientific term for it," she explained. "When I was a little girl, I couldn't control mine either, so father bought me one of my own… You'll learn to control it overtime, I'm sure. So, you won't have to wear it all the time. Just use it for now until your confident in your control."

Kaneki nodded and smiled a little, looking away, scratching his cheek once again. "Thank you," he said, bringing his hands together. "You didn't have to do any of this for me… I'm a complete stranger," he paused, and his smile turned sad, "I'm sorry to be such a burden."

Eto blinked, then waved her hand dismissively. "Not at all! It's no trouble!" she paused for a moment then added, "I'm actually very interested in you, Ken Kaneki."

Kaneki's cheeks turned rose tinted at her words and Eto almost burst out laughing. _Oh, this will be __**fun**__…_

"I mean to say," she corrected herself with a sly grin, "I've never met someone like you before… Someone like me. For the longest time I thought that I was the only living one-eyed-Ghoul."

Kaneki looked to her confused, "What do you mean? You-," he caught himself quickly and then corrected his mistake, "_we _are the only one-eyed-Ghouls? There aren't any others?"

Eto smiled sadly at his question. "Ken, do you know what you get when you crossbreed a human and a Ghoul?"

Kaneki raised his brows slightly, confused further. Was it a trick question? "A… One-eyed-Ghoul?"

"If only it were that simple," she replied, shifting her gaze to the distance, smile still holding on her face. "You get a corpse. One-eyed-Ghouls are rare, not only because of the predator-prey nature of Ghouls and humans, but also because of the needs of the fetus. If the mother is a Ghoul, then her body will mistake the fetus for nutrients and devour it from the inside… If the mother is human, then the Ghoul DNA will require human meat to grow, if doesn't get all the nutrients it needs, it will die in the womb, and even if it happens to be born, it won't live long due to being deprived of the necessary nutrients in the womb. The mother will have to cannibalize."

Kaneki was silent for a moment as he seemed to process the information. "Your mother sounds like a strong woman, miss Takatsuki."

Eto looked to him and her smile switched to a gentle one. "She was."

A silence settled between the two of them for a moment before Kaneki stood up and said, "I-I'll get the coffee, it should be ready by now."

"Wait," Eto said, gripping his wrist as he passed her. "Try on the eye-patch! I went and bought it for you, didn't I? Don't be rude!" she teased him.

"S-sorry," Kaneki said as he took it from her, then slipped the straps behind his ears.

Eto smiled, it looked very cute on him. "My, what a _handsome _young man," she cooed, giggling as Kaneki blushed at her remark.

"Th-the coffee…" he said before briskly putting distance between him and herself.

She smirked to herself as she watched him disappear into the kitchen. _So helpless… _

After a few moments, Kaneki returned, holding two cups of coffee, with a spoon in each and handing one to Eto. He also reached into his bag that had been slumped lazily against the side of the couch and pulled out a small black container. "I didn't put any, um," he paused, "any sugar cubes in yet. I didn't know if you liked them or not, but here are some if you want any."

Eto smiled and said, "Oh, thank you! Do you have any regular sugar, though?" she paused, "And some milk?"

Kaneki looked at her dumbstruck. "You… you actually _want _all that in your cup?"

Eto was confused for a moment before realization dawned on her. _He doesn't know! That's right! _Eto scratched the back of her neck. "Well, about that… I've never had a problem tasting or even digesting regular food."

Kaneki's jaw dropped slightly, "What?"

"That's the difference between being artificially changed into a One-Eyed-Ghoul and being born one, I suppose," she said, looking to the cup she held in both hands. "I'm sorry, Ken," she added, "You seemed to have been sold the raw end of the deal."

Kaneki seemed shocked by the revelation. His gaze shifted away from Eto and he stared into the distance for a moment, before his brows furrowed and he frowned. Eto wondered if he was angry because he was unlucky in that regard, or because he was angry because he felt alone.

Eto leaned forward and gripped his hand once again. "Don't worry," she assured him, "You'll be fine. Trust me. I'll make sure of it."

Kaneki's expression softened, and he turned his head to her but kept his gaze on the floor. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to worry you, I just –,"

"I understand," Eto cut him off. "It's just not fair, is it?"

Kaneki paused for a moment, "Yeah."

Eto gave him a sympathetic smile. "Hey, do you want to know something not many of my fans actually know?" she asked.

Kaneki lifted his eyes to meet hers and raised a questioning brow.

"Sen Takatsuki isn't my real name."

"It's not?" Ken asked, blinking in surprise.

"No, it's simply a pen name. My real name is far less interesting."

"What is it?" Kaneki asked, curious.

"Eto," she sighed.

"Eto?" Ken asked, "That's a… unique name."

Eto smiled, "Yeah, Dad wasn't very good a Japanese. He's literate now, but he kind of screwed up the Kanji for my name."

Kaneki chuckled lightly at that, making Eto smile. _At least I've cheered him up._

"It's actually Eto Yoshimura, but I don't use my surname often," she added off handedly. A smile then spread across her face as she set her coffee down and folded one leg over the other. "Now then, I told you something about me, now tell me something about you," she said with a sly grin.

Ken seemed anxious for a moment before he answered, "W-what would you like to know?"

"To start, What do you like most about my novels?"

She had expected Kaneki to grow flustered or red, or make one of his cute awkward faces, but he didn't. Instead he seemed to grow thoughtful as he placed a hand to his chin and said, "I think it's because… of the message. In all of your books, there's an overarching theme of a problem with society and the conditions in which the people live. In _The Black Goats Egg, _for example, the story is based around the mother's failings as a parent and how her son soon begins to exhibit the same tendencies as her… It isn't until later we learn that she became a killer because of her abusive household and the fact that taking lives was the only way she felt in control. It isn't meant to make you sympathize with her, but… It shows you that no one is simply born evil."

Eto looked at him, surprised, she hadn't expected such a response from the boy. A smile then spread across her lips. "Very observant, aren't you?" she asked, "I'm surprised. Many people don't always get the theme of my stories. They think I simply right thrillers, very rarely does anyone pick out the social commentary. I'm impressed"

At _that _Kaneki flustered. "T-thank you." he paused and looked to the cup of coffee in her hand, "I-I'll fix that cup for you."

Their conversation continued, discussing books they liked and disliked, and authors they liked and disliked. Eto found herself lost in the discussion and realized it was something she had been sorely lacking in her life. Out of all everyone; her father, Touka, Kaya, Enji, Irimi, etc, none of them shared her passion for literature. She'd never particularly had anyone to with which talk thoroughly about it before. She had gotten so engrossed in it, she had lost track of time.

Noticing a digital clock by the television, Eto realized she'd stayed there longer than she had intended. Reluctantly she stood to leave. "Well, I have to get going now," she sighed, "We should do this again sometime, Ken. It was fun."

"O-of course," Kaneki agreed, shy smile on his face. "T-thank you, for stopping by."

Eto smiled at his shyness a moment. He was too nice... _Poor boy..._

(-)

Touka Kirishima stood behind the counter, leaning forward against it, resting her chin upon her palm. They had more or less a full house today and normally, she would be busy checking on the customers – making her rounds about the shop, making sure none of the human customers needed any extra creamer or sugar. However, she was too anxious to worry about being a good waitress at the moment. Her mind had been focused on that guy… The one who Rize had picked off. Or should have.

He _had _been a human, of that she was sure. He'd been in the shop frequently enough and, on one occasion, his scent had made her mouth water a little. Of course, that was only because she hadn't been eating regularly at that point, it wasn't sexual. She grimaced at the thought. _Gross… _

And now, all of a sudden, he was a Ghoul? _Or a one-eyed-Ghoul like Eto? _She corrected herself. How did that even happen? She had asked the manager, but he didn't seem to know anything. _Or he wasn't telling me anything… Maybe I should see Eto and ask her? _Regardless of how it happened, the fact that he was now a Ghoul changed very little for Touka. He had still been a _human_. And now, he knew their secret. What was stopping him from telling the CCG about them? _Fear? Of Anteiku? Or fear of the CCG? _She paused. _Would they kill someone in his predicament? Someone who had once been one of them?_

The door chimed, snapping Touka from her thoughts, and cueing her to greet the new customer. "Welcome to…" she trailed off as she realized who it was. "Oh, it's you Eto," _speak of the devil. _

"Hello, Touka!" Eto greeted the teenager cheerily, as she walked to sit at one of the bar stools at the opposite end of the counter.

"Do you want anything?" Touka asked, "Americano, like usual?"

"No, no," Eto waved her off, "I had some coffee already. I was just in the neighborhood again and thought I'd come to see how you guys were holding up. Busy today, huh?"

"It's not too bad," Touka replied, resuming her leaning position against the counter. "What are you doing in the neighborhood, though, I thought you were working on that new book? The- The Hanging Mans McMuffin?"

Eto laughed a little, "You did that on purpose. No, it's _The Hanged Mans McGuffin._ And, I would be, but I had an appointment to keep today… Well, it was more of a walk-in, but it was one I needed to make."

"An appointment about what?" Touka asked, then frowned and whispered, "Did it have something to do with that guy you brought into the shop the other day? Why did you do that? Don't you think that was a _bad _idea? You don't think he'll rat on us to the CCG, do you?"

Eto sighed, "I was just helping him, Touka. He's lost, and he doesn't know what to do with himself. He's changing in ways I don't think anyone has before. He can no longer survive the way he should anymore… He doesn't know how to cope with his new diet."

Touka blinked in confusion, "Wait… what's stopping him from just eating human food? You can, can't you?"

"In his case it's a little different," Eto explained, "You remember the incident involving the steel beams a few months ago, right?"

"You mean the one that killed Rize, right?"

"Mm," Eto replied, "Well, Ken was also involved in that accident, and, according to the news reports, his insides were badly damaged. So, with Rize presumed dead, they transplanted her organs into him… Including her stomach."

"So, he can only digest humans…" she deduced. _He's more like a regular Ghoul than a half-ghoul then._

"Mm," Eto affirmed. "Hey, can you do me a favor?" she asked suddenly, earning the raven-haired teens attention.

"Sure, I guess."

"On your next day off, can you teach him false-eating?"

"What?!" Touka almost blurted out, "Why should _I _waste _my _day off teaching some dork how to fake eating a sandwich?!"

"Oh, come on now, Touka! I can't do it, because… well, I never needed to. Can't you do it, please!"

"Well… I guess. I'm not very good at it either though! Why don't you ask your dad to help him out? He's way better at it than any of us."

Eto giggled to herself softly, "What's the matter, Touka? Afraid to be alone in a room with a cute boy for a little while?"

Touka's cheeks reddened and she recoiled in disgusted anger. "Gross! _Cute's_ hardly the word I'd use to describe him! And, no! I'm not scared of being in a room with a cute boy!"

Eto giggled louder, "Of course, of course. You're right! He's more _handsome, _isn't he?"

"Shut up!"

"Ha ha ha! Oh fine! I'll get dad to help him. I'm just trying to set you up is all," Eto conceded as she stood from the stool and made her way to the staircase leading to the upper floor of Anteiku.

"I don't need your help!" Touka called up the stairs, red faced.

She huffed in annoyance as she shifted her gaze back to the customers and her thoughts back to Ken Kaneki. Eto seemed to trust him enough to reveal their most closely guarded secrets, but Touka was not at all convinced. She'd knew just how humans reacted when they found out what you _really _were – how quickly they decided that you shouldn't be allowed to live. Her brows furrowed, and she clenched her fists.

(Some days later)

Kaneki sighed as he arrived on campus. It had been too long since he'd even been anywhere near Kamii. Even so, it felt refreshing coming back. Recently, he wouldn't have dared stepped foot anywhere near the campus, fearing his hunger would creep on him. But now that he had his eye-patch that Eto had given him and the rest of those sugar cubes that her father gave him, he figured he should be well enough.

He was still a few hours early, so he decided to take a walk around campus to pass the time. As he walked he noticed that he began observing the people around him in a manner he never really had before, and a thought crossed his mind. _I wonder… how many of these people are Ghouls? _Ever since he'd discovered the truth about the Anteiku coffee shop, the question had intrigued him. He knew that Eto – Sen Takatsuki was a Ghoul and she was fairly famous. So, were there other celebrity Ghouls out there? If so, how did they hide themselves so well, especially considering they were in the public eye a lot? Kaneki had grown so lost in his observations that he failed to notice the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching him from behind.

"Ooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" was all he heard before he was suddenly grabbed by an unknown assailant and spun around furiously. Dazed, Kaneki somehow still managed to make out the voice of Hide when he heard the orange haired boy say, "Dammit, Kaneki! Where have you been!? You've been gone for so long I thought I was gonna' die of loneliness! And... What's with the eye-patch?"

"Hide?" Kaneki asked, regaining his bearings.

"Yeah, it's me, jerk!" Hide replied, gripping Kaneki's shoulders tightly.

Kaneki paused, and looked at Hide's expression. He truly was upset. Kaneki had never realized just how much that Hide actually cared about him. Of course, they were friends – best friends even – but, Hide still had something Kaneki didn't. Other friends. Kaneki had always been certain that, when it came down to it, Hide would easily let Kaneki go. It was something he had always been afraid of before… Recently it had been something he'd hoped would happen. In shame, Kaneki frowned.

"Sorry, Hide," Kaneki replied, "I… haven't been a very good friend to you lately."

Hide looked at him for a moment, then his expression softened. "Well, whatever. It doesn't matter. You're here now, right? Anyway, I was on my way to pick up some class materials from this upper classman, wanna' tag along? We can catch up."

Kaneki nodded in agreement, "Sure."

The pair of college students made their way across the campus, headed towards the science dorms. They talked of little, inconsequential things - What Kaneki had been doing since he had pretty much dropped off the grid, to which vaguely said that he was dealing with health issues. Then, Hide said, "Listen, about that message I sent you the other day…"

Kaneki looked to Hide, a little surprised. He hadn't expected that subject to be brought up. The message Hide had sent had been… Well, surprising coming from him. _You're going to die alone. _That had been very uncharacteristic of Hide.

"I didn't mean to be so rude…" Hide explained, a little awkwardly, placing his hands behind his head and lacing his fingers. "It was just… frustrating. I was worried about you, man. But, you seemed to be ignoring me."

Kaneki frowned. He understood what Hide was saying. To be truthful however, he wasn't really mad or upset by Hide's message. It had been the truth. He _was _going to die alone… It was what he had intended to do. However, ever since Sen Takatsuki or, as he had discovered her true name to be, _Eto_ had shown up at his apartment, he had decided that perhaps life as he was wouldn't be so bad. "It's alright, Hide," Kaneki assured his friend, "I… was not so much better toward you." Hide said nothing but gave a small hum of agreement as they arrived at the dormitories.

Soon, after climbing a few flights of stairs, Hide stopped at a door to which he then unceremoniously barged in. What followed was a loud, feminine shriek, followed by a woman rushing out of the dorm and down the hallway, covering her chest with her hands.

"Hide-," Kaneki began to reprimand, but was cut off when another voice spoke up.

"Tch. Knock before entering next time, Nagachika," came an irritated, but otherwise calm voice from inside the dorm.

Hide scratched the back of his head awkwardly and laughed. "Sorry, Nishiki!" he said entering, followed by Kaneki, "I just really needed those data sheets."

The moment Kaneki entered the room, his nostrils were assaulted by a strong aroma that sent shivers down his spine. It smelt so welcoming and delicious. _Just like mothers' hamburgers… _the thought brought up another memory for him, however. That night when he stumbled across those other Ghouls ripping apart a corpse.

Immediately, Kaneki's blood ran cold. He looked past Hide to get a look at the resident of the dorm. He was a lean guy, with a somewhat fashionable sense of style, wearing glasses that rested on the end of his nose and slightly messy, wavy hair that rested above his head, covering his forehead.

The upperclassman seemed to notice something as well as when his eyes met Kaneki's his nostrils twitched for just a moment and his eyes narrowed slightly.

_He's a Ghoul! _Kaneki looked from him to Hide, then around the room. He was looking for where the scent of meat was coming from but couldn't seem to make it out. It felt like it was all around him, but at the same time it felt feint. Unlike that night, it was much less pronounced. _He must have already disposed of it. _

"You know nothing pisses me off more than when someone violates my territory," the Ghoul continued, as Hide took a seat on a nearby chair, leaving Kaneki to stand.

"Like I said," Hide continued, "Sorry. Anyway, this is my friend, you know the guy I was telling you about before? Kaneki."

The Ghoul then stood up and walked over to the pair of them, causing Kaneki to tense up slightly. He then extended his hand and smile gently at Kaneki. "My name is Nishiki Nishio, A second year in the school of Pharmacy. Nice to meet you, Kaneki."

Kaneki relaxed a bit. _He doesn't seem so bad… _"Ken Kaneki," he replied, a little awkwardly. "Japanese literature."

Nishiki then looked to Hide and asked, "You came about last year's material, right?"

Hide nodded, "Yeah, I need to see the retail data."

The pair of them then began to rummage through Kaneki's room for a short bit, making small talk while they worked, even laughing at incidents within their classes. It was an odd sight for Kaneki to see, considering he knew the true nature of Nishiki, but it gave him something akin to hope. Seeing Ghouls and Humans work together like that. Sharing experiences. It was a nice sight.

"Damn," Nishiki swore as he sat down and placed a hand to his forehead. "I probably left it back at my parent's house."

Hide sighed in slight annoyance, "For real?"

"Yeah. Nagachika, why don't you head out with me to go get it? You can come too, Kaneki."

"To your house?" Hide asked, "Well, if it's the only way… What about you Kaneki?"

Kaneki nodded. "Sure, I don't mind." _After all, this is an opportunity to meet more Ghouls. I wonder if this guy knows the Ghouls at Anteiku?_

(-)

The three made their way from campus to the surrounding neighborhoods, headed towards Nishiki's house. They moved further and further away from campus, until when they had begun to cross under an overpass, Nishiki stopped and said, "Alright, here's good."

"Huh-," was all hide had to say before, Nishki spun around quickly and sent him tumbling into the darkness of an alleyway with a swift, hard, kick to the side.

Kaneki watched in horror as Hide bounced along the concrete until he finally came to a halt at the foot of a concrete wall, near some trash bins. "Hide!" he called out

Nishiki calmly walked towards him and said, "What are the odds of meeting another Ghoul on campus?" he then placed a hand on Kaneki's shoulder and sniffed once again. "Man, you sure do _reek_. You're lucky humans have such shit sense of smell or you'd be long dead by now," He paused and his grip tightened, "Matter of fact, you smell just like that _bitch _Rize!" he said as he thrusted Kaneki against a support pillar and wrapped that same hand around his throat.

"You were gonna have Nagachika for dinner, weren't you?" he asked as sadistic smile spread across his face. "There's nothing like the look of pure anguish on their faces as you betray their trust right, Kaneki!?"

Kaneki, gripped Nishiki's hand and began to remove the stress from his windpipe. "I-I'm not like you!" he choked out, as he narrowed his brow.

"Oh?" Nishiki asked, before releasing his grip on Kaneki's throat momentarily and then thrusting his hand like a spear into his gut, pinning him against the pillar once more and causing him to cough up blood. "Little brats like you, who talk back to their seniors, are one of my peeves."

He then removed his hand from Kaneki's stomach and walked back to the end of the alleyway where Hide lay unconscious, placing a foot on the side of his head, already covered in blood flowing from his ears. "Let me tell you something, Kaneki. This university and everyone in it, are _my_ territory and _my_ food, and I don't like to share! So, humor me, Kaneki; he said you had been his best friend ever since you were kids. So, when were you planning on eating him?!"

Kaneki brought himself to his feet somehow and began to limp over to Nishiki and Hide. "S-stop it. Hide isn't food." He wheezed out in pain.

"Friends? With a Human? Well, even if you aren't after my meals, I still gotta kill you out of principal, you understand, right?" he asked as he lightly kicked Hide's head.

Kaneki furrowed his brows and let his bad slide down his arm, where he caught it with both hands and rushed at Nishiki, swinging it, screaming.

"Ha ha ha! Using your bag isn't going to save you, little girl!" he exclaimed as he nonchalantly dodged Kaneki's swings and delivered a hard kick to his gut, sending him flying.

Kaneki bounced on the concrete until finally coming to a stop halfway to the street, his eye-patch coming off in the process. As he laid there, panting in pain, the sounds of Nishiki's footsteps drew nearer. "Humans are the equivalent of livestock, aren't they? Why don't you just kill 'em? Like they do cows and chickens?"

"I-I won't!"

Nishiki smirked and rolled Kaneki over with his foot. "I see. Even so, don't you think that Nagachika is a risky choice of friend? He may seem like an idiot, but that guy is actually pretty bright. Bright enough to figure out our most closely kept secrets, understand? You should thank me for getting rid of him… But then, it won't really matter for you, I guess."

He then kicked Kaneki into another pillar and made his way back to Hide's prone form. "Well, better get to it," Nishiki said, a little happily as he raised his foot and a blue-green tentacle crawled out from underneath his shirt and wrapped itself around his right leg, pointed end aiming at Hide's head, "See ya, Nagachika."

Kaneki could do nothing but watch in horror as Nishiki was about to deliver the killing blow to Hide. _Please, _Kaneki pleaded, _not him! Not Hide! Why? After all I've done to keep him from being killed by myself, now I have to watch him die!? Please! Please! He doesn't deserve this… Even back when we were kids. Back when I was normal. Hide was always there for me… I can't let him die! I… I… I __**won't**__! _Kaneki thought as he felt a buildup of pressure emanate from his lower back and release violently. "I won't let you kill him!" he screamed at Nishiki as three blood red tentacles curled around him.

Nishiki looked at Kaneki with curiosity for a moment. "One eye?" he asked, confusion in his voice, before he saw Kaneki rush at him like a rabid animal. He then smirked and uncurled his Kagune from his leg, thrusting it towards Kaneki, who sloppily threw up one of his own tendrils to deflect it.

Surprisingly to the both of them, Kaneki closed the distance fast, causing Nishiki to panic as he hastily tried to impale Kaneki, who hugged the tail-like appendages tightly, as he sent his own three tentacles threw Nishiki's abdomen and repeatedly began to pierce through him.

"Son of a bitch!" the Ghoul screamed as he was repeatedly impaled. "I'll die! I'll die! I'll die!" he repeated.

The sounds of Nishiki's screaming was drowned out by the blood rushing through Kaneki's ears until finally, he stopped his assault on the Ghoul and tossed his body away up into some catwalks underneath the overpass.

Kaneki, exhausted and pained dropped to his knees and turned to check on his friend. Hide was lying there, motionlessly Kaneki thought he was dead until he saw the feint rising of his chest. _He's alive! _Kaneki thought, relieved. He honestly couldn't believe it. Hide was alive! He was just unconscious, vulnerable, _waiting for me to gobble him up! _Kaneki suddenly thought feeling his mouth begin to water as the scent of Hide's blood danced in his nostrils.

_No! _Kaneki thought, _Not again! Sugar cubes! Where are the… _he couldn't find his bag. He couldn't find his bag and he could feel his stomach begin to twist and turn inside him. _N-no! Where!? Where is it!?_

"Forget about those silly things," he heard an uncomfortably familiar voice tell him, causing him to spin around to see Rize squatted over Hide, poking curiously at his unconscious boy.

"No! Get away! I already told you; Hide isn't food!"

She looked over to him and smiled slyly. "Come now," she cooed and suddenly was behind him, her hands spreading open his eyelids and focusing his vision on the unconscious body of his best friend. "Look. Doesn't he look scrumptious like this? You see it don't you?"

Kaneki stared at Hide's prone form and, oddly enough, began to realize something. Rize was right. Hide looked so delicious. Just like how those steaks from Big Girl used to. He was just right there, waiting for someone to gobble him up… For _Kaneki _to gobble him up. "Y-yeah, I see," Kaneki said, foaming at the mouth now as his hunger began to reach its peak with a fresh meal right in front of him.

For a moment, Kaneki snapped out if it, clutching his head. "No! I can't! Leave me alone!" he yelled, closing his eyes.

He felt Rize's arms wrap around him and grip him, like she was hugging him from behind. "What do you mean? Don't lie to yourself, Kaneki. You want it so much that you can't stand it, right? Don't worry, it's not like you're doing anything wrong, this is just nature," she continued as he subconsciously crawled over to Hide, salivating heavily. "After all, if it's not _you _who eats him, someone else will, right?"

Kaneki was now hovering over Hide, his drool staining the unconscious boy's clothes. "Y-you're right!" Kaneki agreed, "If I don't do it, someone else will! Besides, he's unconscious, right? He won't feel a thing! This is the best way! Because… Because…"

"Because he's your friend!" Rize finished for him.

"Because he's my friend it has to be me who eats him! To save him from everyone else!"

"Geez," Kaneki heard another, unfamiliar voice speak, causing him to snap his head up past Hide to see a girl in a school uniform standing on the other side. "You're a nutcase, aren't you?" she said, mockingly. "Look at you, talking to yourself while you drool all over your buddy like that. Let me tell you something; if you eat him now, you'll regret it later."

Kaneki didn't listen to her. "Back off!" he growled angrily, like a stray fighting over a meal, his three tentacles curled around him and pointed at the newcomer, like spears.

She sighed, "You really are going to be trouble, aren't you? Well, Eto seems to like you, so I'll help you out just this once," she said as she loosened her uniform and a blood red haze began to emanate from her shoulder. "Play nice for me and go down easy!"

Kaneki blacked out.


	4. Chapter 4

Unraveled Bandages Chapter 4

Kaneki sat in big girl, looking over the menu with Hide just across from him. The orange haired boy scrunched up his face as he looked over his menu, scratching at his head. "Mm, I don't know," he murmured in annoyance before lowering his menu and looking to Ken. "What do you think I should get, Kaneki?"

Ken looked at Hide and asked in confusion, "Why don't you get what you always get?"

Hide shook his head, "Nah, I wanted to try something different. I can't just keep eating the same stake whenever I come here, people will start to think I'm boring, y'know?"

Ken smirked, he didn't think anyone could find Hide _boring_ – no matter how hard they tried. Still, Kaneki complied and looked back to his menu. However, something was wrong. He blinked in surprise and rubbed his eyes, but nothing changed. The words on his menu – he couldn't read a single one. _What? _He began to flip through the menu's thick pages, trying to find a page with even a single word he could read. He began to sweat as he realized there were none. It wasn't even that he couldn't read the words, it was that he didn't even think kanji like what he saw before him _existed. _

Suddenly, a waitress arrived at their table, notepad at the ready and pen in hand. "What will we be having today?" she asked, with a welcoming voice.

Ken looked from her and back to the menu, eyes wide and sweat dripping down his forehead. "I uh…" he began as flipped through it again, swallowing down his discomfort. "I'll have the Hamburger Steak special…" he said, falling back on his default and setting the menu down.

"What about me?" Hide asked, earning Ken's attention.

"What?" Ken asked, looking to his friend, who sat now with his arms folded.

"What should _I_ get?"

Ken blinked, and sighed inwardly, picking the menu back up, "Right, I forgot."

Kaneki began to flip through the menu once again, looking for something for Hide. Like before though, he still couldn't read any of the words on the pages. He sat there, beginning to sweat again as he looked for Kanji he could read. Still, he found nothing.

"Hurry up!" The waitress suddenly shouted at him, causing him to jump in his seat and look up at her in surprise. He couldn't see her face as the light was incredibly bright and shinning behind her. In fact, looking around now, he couldn't see anyone's face, despite the brightness of the lights above them. He could only see Hide's face and the tables that the people were seated at. He couldn't even see the floor beneath him as it was shrouded in darkness.

"S-sorry," Ken muttered.

"What, you're just gonna let me starve? You're gonna kill me?" Hide asked now. Only it wasn't one of his sarcastic quips. He sounded like he meant it.

"N-no! S-sorry!" Ken said once again. He looked to the waitress, who stood with her arms crossed now. He couldn't see her face, but he knew she was looking down at him with annoyance and contempt. "He-he'll have the… uh…"

"Nevermind! He doesn't get to eat!" she suddenly yelled at him and stormed off.

Ken looked from the direction she stormed off in and back to Hide, who was now glaring at him.

"Thanks," Hide spat at him. He then angrily stood up and said, "I gotta go to the restroom…"

Ken sat alone at his table now and rested his head in his hands. "It's not my fault," he said with a shaky voice. "I-I couldn't read it." _It's not my fault… Hide should have been able to choose for himself, it's not my fault… Why is it always my fault? Why am I always the one in the wrong? It's not my fault, it's Hide's fault. Idiot. He couldn't even order his own food! How am I to blame? And the menu! What language is that? This is Japan isn't it? Isn't it!? _He thought, as his anger began to overtake him, when a voice raised him from his thoughts.

"Mr. Kaneki?" it asked, "Your order is ready."

Ken sat up quickly, somewhat embarrassed about his angry thoughts just moments ago. "Yes, thank you," he said to her, as she placed the plate with a cover on it.

"I hope you enjoy," she said, before taking a step back from the table.

Ken looked at her awkwardly as she stood at the edge of the table silently, hands folded in front of a white apron, waiting expectantly. Shrugging it off, he looked back to the meal before him and removed the lid.

To his horror, he found Hide's severed head on a bed of lettuce. His eyes rolled back, blood leaked from his ears and nostrils, and his jaw hung open, with one side of it being unhinged completely from his head as an apple rested comically in his mouth.

Ken screamed and fell back from his chair, crawling away from the sight and into the darkness. The waitress watching him began to laugh. It started out as a light giggle and quickly developed into a hearty bellow. She then made her way behind him and wrapped her arms around him, holding him still as more waitresses came out.

She leaned her head over his shoulder and directly into his view. That was when he saw it. He saw that deep purple hair and those bright red glasses. That pale skin and admittedly pretty face.

"What?! Rize!?"

"Hello, Ken," she greeted as one of the waitresses picked up Hide's severed head and carried it over to Kaneki who was struggling on the ground, only for another waitress to roughly grab his lower jaw and hold it open. "Oh, you're such a _picky _eater!"

Ken watched as the waitress holding Hide's head ripped one of his ears off and began to push it towards Ken's mouth. Ken tried to squeeze his jaw shut as hard as he could, but the waitress holding it open had an iron grip.

"No, please!" he tried to say, but it only came out as horrified grunts. Ken was powerless as the waitress slipped the ear into his mouth and the other closed his jaw, forcing him to chew.

(000)

Kaneki woke up screaming, clutching his sheets to his chest as sweat ran down his forehead. He remained sitting upright for a while, panting as he slowly calmed down, relieved that it had only been a nightmare. He gulped down his fear and rested his head into his hands, slumping forwards. "Shit," he cursed to himself as he came down to reality.

Ken lifted his head and looked at his surroundings. He was on a couch in a room he had never been in before. A cold sweat began to form on his forehead as he looked around. It was a nice room – with expensive looking, light gold floral wallpaper with white baseboards. Next to him There was a coffee table, and a pair of chairs just past it. There was also a glass cabinet in the corner nearest to the door, but it was too dark to make out its contents.

Ken looked to his right and found a window with the blinds closed. Hoping to get at least an idea of where he was exactly, he found the vane of the blinds and twisted it until they parted enough to give him a clear view of the outside, but not so much that it was obvious he had opened them, just incase whoever had abducted him was out there.

He saw a small courtyard out there, with two flower beds in the center. There were people out there as well, no one intimidating or shady, simply everyday people going about their lives. That calmed Kaneki down a bit, wherever he was, it wasn't someplace secluded. But that still begged the question; where was he? And; who had abducted him?

Then, he heard the handle of the door begin to turn, prompting him to turn around quickly. He backed himself up against the couch, unsure of what else to do and held his breath. As the door opened Ken began to think about making a break for it, pushing past whoever entered and if he couldn't do that, then jumping out the window. He was at least on the second story and before it may have broken his legs, but now, with his newly found durability, he could probably land it with no trouble.

As the door opened, the light from the hall behind it silhouetted Ken's abductor. Ken was about to hop of the couch and push past him, when his captor flicked on the switch next to him, turning on the lights and illuminating the room causing Kaneki to blink as his eye's adjusted to the light. As he adjusted, however, he heard a familiar voice.

"You're awake, I see," came the voice of a calm, older man. The voice of Anteiku's manager. Ken paused and took a moment to get a proper look at the other man in the room. Sure enough, standing in the entrance was Takatsuki Sen's father, a kind smile on his weathered face.

"It's you," Ken said, exhaling in relief, letting his body relax.

There was a moment of silence between them before Sen's father spoke once again. "Touka brought you here… After you and you're friend had that encounter with Nishiki."

Ken nodded in acknowledgement and let his gaze fall to his feet. Then, the memories came flooding in, his fight with that Ghoul, Nishio, and the insatiable hunger that had overtaken him after. He remembered leaning over Hide… drooling like a dog, ready to dig into him.

"Hide!" he suddenly exclaimed, jumping off the couch and making his way towards the manager. "My friend! I almost -," he cut himself off. He didn't want to say it. "Is my friend okay!?" he said, voice breaking slightly.

The managers smile faded at Ken's question and his face became serious. "Come with me," he ordered and exited the room, walking down the hall. Kaneki followed him, practically at his heels as the older man led him down to the door at the end of the hall.

The manager opened the door to a pitch black room, the only light came from the hall way, which inched it's way up the floor as the door opened wider and finally onto a steel framed bed, illuminating it and it's occupant. Underneath it's cover laid a familiar orange haired boy, eye's closed, with a rag over his forehead. Ken gulped as he took a step into the room. "Hide…" he murmured. He paused, looking back to the older ghoul, "Is he… Did I?" he asked, with a quivering voice.

"No," the manager replied, causing ken to exhale as if he'd just dropped a heavy weight. "Touka prevented you from going any further."

Ken smiled in relief, exhaling, "Remind me to thank her…" Then a realization dawned on him. He remembered being excruciatingly hungry. So much so it felt like his mind was going to break. When he woke up, however, he was fine… satiated even. "While I was… asleep… what exactly did you do to me?" Ken asked, turning to the manager.

"You know as well as I," the manager replied, "there is only one true way to satisfy a Ghoul's hunger."

Ken closed his eyes and exhaled, finding a nearby seat and plopping down on it. _I ate a person, _he told himself. _At least part of a person… I… _He didn't want to think about it anymore. What's done was done. He couldn't take it back now. But they… they had taken it upon themselves to choose for him. They didn't give him a say at all! _But they saved my life… And Hide's as well… _

"If you had remained in the state Touka had found you, then stopping you wouldn't have mattered. You would have woken up with the same intent," the manager spoke, making his way to Kaneki and then placing his wrinkled hand gently on his shoulder. "Please," Yoshimura spoke, prompting Ken to shift his attention back to the old man, "come to terms with what you have now become."

Ken kept his eyes on Sen's father for a few moments before letting them fall back to the wooden floor. He understood what the older Ghoul was trying to say. _This _was his last chance. His last opportunity to prevent himself from becoming too far gone.

Clenching his fists tightly, Ken let out a shaky exhale and said, "I… don't want to hurt my friend. I don't want to hurt… anyone." He paused and then added, with tears forming in his eyes, "Your daughter told me that; I've become someone who is both a human and a Ghoul. But I don't know how to live that way…"

Yoshimura was silent for a few moments, then said, "Then join our shop, Anteiku. We can teach you how to live a Ghouls life, while also maintaining your place among humanity. In time perhaps, you will find that being a Ghoul is not so awful… That there is more to us than eating and killing."

Yoshimura paused for a moment and then added, "But before all of that, I'll have to show you how to make delicious coffee," he said with a smile.

Ken wiped at his eye's, sniffling silently. "Ah… I-I don't know… I – I mean, I've never really had a job before… I might just be a burden… But, if you think it will help me… then, I'll give it my best." Ken paused and looked back to Hide, who continued to lay unconscious on the bed. "W-what will happen to my friend."

Yoshimura shifted his attention to the sleeping boy and said, "When he comes to, we'll send him on his way. Now come, I'll need your measurements for your uniform," he said, leading Ken out the door, unaware that after the door closed, a presumably unconscious Hide opened his eyes.

(The Following Day)

Touka sighed as she tightened her tie, wincing as it squeezed a little bit too hard, reminding her of the day prior, when that one-eye'd, bookworm bastard had attacked her after she'd found him slobbering all over his friend. _He didn't go down as easy as I would've thought. _She mentally remarked as she carefully hid the bandage above her right eye behind her bangs. _Shoulda' just left him alone…_

She sighed looking at the door, the shop was about to open. Truthfully, Touka wished she could have slept in til' noon. She was running on fumes at this point what with school and her late-night studies. _Is becoming a teacher really worth it? _She pondered for a moment, _If it's this bad in high school, I can't imagine the cram in university. _She paused and frowned, remembering her grades. They weren't particularly bad, barring classic lit, but they weren't outstanding either. _If I can even get __**in**__._

Exiting her room on the upper floor, Touka made her way into the hall and began making her way toward the staircase when she saw the door at the other end of it swing open and outstep an orange haired boy with head wrapped up in bandages, slightly stumbling, holding onto the door knob. She blinked surprised. _He's… up? _

She watched as he tried to take a few steps down the hall and then stumbled forward, losing his footing. "Hey!" she called out, clearing the distance and catching him as he fell. "What the hell are you doing up?" she asked as she lifted him up slightly. Suddenly, the boy fell back, or rather pushed away from her and fell back onto the floor, scooting away.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" she asked, confused and annoyed.

For a moment he stared up at her wide eyed, chest heaving. After a few moments, he answered, "S-sorry, you just scared me is all… Wasn't expecting you to come run up and grab me." He paused then scratched the back of his orange haired head. "Thanks though! I appreciate it, even if I fell anyways."

She frowned. "What are you doing up anyway? You're in no condition to be walking around."

The boy began to pick himself up, using the wall as support until Touka became annoyed at the pitiful sight and used herself to prop him up. She began walking him back to his room when he began to answer. "Sorry," he apologized again. "I was just wondering where I was… And how I ended up here…"

Touka paused before laying him into bed, "You mean you don't remember what happened?" she asked, surprise creeping in her voice.

"N-not really," he replied, "I remember walking with Kaneki and Nishio and then…" he paused, "I don't know."

Touka inwardly sighed, relieved. _At least he won't be a problem. _"I was across the street when I saw you guys walking," she paused, trying to think up a story. "Then, a car came swerving around the corner and almost full on hit you!"

Hide blinked, surprised and smirked slightly, "A _car _hit me?" he asked.

Touka blinked, "A-almost," she emphasized, realizing how incredulous it sounded, given the fact that he wasn't paralyzed. "It hit you with it's tail end before speeding off."

"A car, huh?" he asked, lowering himself onto the bed. "Well, it certainly feels like a car hit me." He paused and looked up at Touka with a frown. "What… What about Kaneki and Nishio?" he asked.

Touka paused, then quickly thought of an explanation. "It just missed Nishio… Your friend got hit by your body and both of you were knocked unconscious. His head took a light blow when he fell, but he should be fine. He's already up and gone… He wanted to stay, but it got late, and he had to go home. I'll call him and tell him you're up."

"Thanks. The names Hide by the way, Touka." He added, with a corny wink to which Touka had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. "I'm sure you remember me from before."

Touka inwardly smirked at the boy, she had remembered him from when he had embarrassingly asked her if she had a boyfriend, though she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing that. "Not in the slightest." She replied coldly, "Anyways, can I get you anything?" She asked, "You've been out for a while, you've got to be hungry or thirsty."

Hide nodded, "Y-yeah. Just water would be fine. I don't have much of an appetite right now." He watched her as she made her way to the door, then said, "Oh yeah, one more question…"

Touka paused and turned to the bed ridden Hide with a raised eyebrow.

"Why didn't you just take me to a hospital?"

Touka paused again. _This guy sure does ask a lot of questions, _she thought, irritated. "Could you afford to go to a hospital?" she asked with a smirk.

Hide raised his eyebrows at her then smiled and rested his head against a pillow. "Good point," he conceded.

(000)

Ken stood in front of his bathroom mirror, examining himself in his new uniform. He wasn't to start for another few days, but he wanted to make sure he at least looked decent beforehand. Of course, this wasn't _his _uniform. The manager; Yoshimura, had taken Ken's measurements and had sent them to a tailor he knew in the 19th ward. Until then, Kaneki would have to wear a spare that Yoshimura kept in the supply closet.

Ken turned to one side as he continued to look himself over. He didn't look bad, at least, but it felt odd wearing such nice clothes. The last time he had dresses so formally had been… had been on the day of his mother's funeral. Ken frowned, something was missing but he couldn't quite place it. It wasn't a matter of fashion, but he felt like he had forgotten something. Then it hit him. _The eye patch! _

Ken quickly entered his living room, and grabbed his bag, which Touka had been thoughtful enough to grab for him after she'd beat him down. He cringed at the thought. Not the beating – he didn't even remember it. Rather, the thought of what he must have looked like. Feral and drooling all over Hide like a piece of meat. Shaking off the thought, he went searching through his things.

For as much as a neat freak as he was, Ken's backpack was admittedly a clusterfuck. He had binders and folders in there, but generally, he didn't even put the effort through to take the time to properly assort his papers. When class was over, he just stuffed his assignments into his backpack. He did so carefully of course, as carefully as one could do that, but things always ended up getting messy.

_Damn, _he thought, tossing the bag to the floor. _I must've lost it when I fought Nishio… Oh well, it's only an eye patch… I can always buy another one. _He paused at that thought, blinking and raising one eyebrow. _Where do you even get an eye patch?_

_ Vrrr… Vrrr… Vrrr… _

Ken heard the familiar sound of his phone vibrating against his coffee table, prompting him to pick it up. Turning it over, he looked at the caller I.D. Unfortunately, it wasn't a number he'd recognized. Confused, he answered the call and pressed the phone to his ear. "Hello? Ken Kaneki speaking."

"Hello, Ken," Came the familiar, wise voice of Yoshimura. "I have good news. Your friend, Nagachika, has woken up. Unfortunately, he's still somewhat injured and requires a bit more bed rest, but he should make a full recovery."

Kaneki felt his heart skip a beat and his breath hitch. "R-really?!" he nearly exclaimed into the receiver. "Oh, thank you so much for telling me! What a relief!" He said, falling down onto his couch, smiling and placing his free hand on his head.

"I thought you'd be glad to hear it," Yoshimura commented over the phone with a smirk on his face.

"I am! Th-," Ken was about to thank him once again when he heard a knock at his door. "Thank you again, Manager. For everything. Good bye."

"Good bye," the manager replied, ending the call.

Standing up, Ken started making his way to the door and was about to grip the knob when something occurred to him. Who was knocking at his door before noon? Ken didn't have very many… he wasn't very popular, after all. _Could it be Nishio's friends? _The thought suddenly popped into Ken's head, making him anxious. He didn't think it could have been Nishio himself because, while he was no expert on Ghoul durability, he did know that he had seriously messed the other Ghoul up. Another thought had occurred to him then, somehow for the first time. _Did… Did I kill Nishio? _

Suddenly Ken felt cold. Had he taken someone's life? It had been in self-defense, after all, it wasn't like he wanted to, but… Had he...? Was he a murderer now? Ken furrowed his brow and gritted his teeth. He'd never even considered the idea that he might have killed the other Ghoul. _He was screaming for his life… _Ken began to recall, placing a hand to his head and squeezing lightly.

Suddenly, the knock came again, bringing Kaneki back to reality. Looking through his peephole, he was surprised to find a familiar head of green hair before him. Ken blinked in surprise. "Miss Takatsuki?" he asked aloud, before undoing the locks on his door and opening up.

"Hello, miss Takatsuki," he greeted smiling a confused smile. "I – I wasn't expecting to see you today."

"Hello, Ken," she replied, her eye's taking a moment to examine his dress before a slight smile appeared on her face. "May I come in?"

Ken blinked. She was acting a bit strange. "Of course," he replied, stepping to the side to let her through. It wasn't until she began making her way through that he'd noticed she'd been carrying a suitcase behind her, due to its wheels clanking against the Threshold as they rolled over it. Ken blinked in surprise once again, then closed the door and followed her into his apartment.

"What's the suit case for? If you don't mind me asking," Ken inquired.

Sen sat down on his chair and let the suitcase rest on its bottom next to her. "Sit," she said. Her voice was calm and inviting even, but Ken had a feeling that this was not going to be a casual visit.

Biting the back of his lower lip, Ken complied making his way to his couch and taking a seat, leaning forwards as he clasped his hands together. "A-Alright," he stuttered out as he felt his anxiety grow.

Getting straight to the point, Sen began. "I heard about what happened the other day," she stated, a sympathetic look on her face.

Ken was silent for a moment, before responding. _How did… _he paused. He knew how she had found out. Her father obviously told her. "Y-you mean… my fight with Nishio?" he asked, hoping that was all he had revealed. "I had to fight him. He was going to -,"

"Ken," she cut him off, "You _know_ what I mean."

Ken was silent for a few moments, brows furrowed slightly, as he shifted his gaze to the floor. "I-I," he began, but didn't know what to say. He had tried to _eat _Hide. He had _lost control. _"It won't happen again."

"It will," she corrected him. "Because you won't eat."

Ken kept his gaze away from her. She was right. He knew she was. "I – I know," he conceded. "I know, but I just can't make myself," he continued. "My hunger gets worse every day. I want it to go away so badly and I _know _the only way is to _eat. _I _know_ I can't just live on sugar cubes alone. I _know _that the meat in my hands wasn't killed by me, so I have no reason to feel guilty," He paused, inhaling a shaky breath as tears began to form in his eyes. "But, I feel like… Like if I do eat that meat. If I make that choice, then I'll lose who I am…"

He broke and placed his face into his hands as he began to cry. "I feel like I'm losing my mind, miss Takatsuki! I don't want any of this!" he told her, his voice muffled through his fingers. "I feel like I'm going to become someone… Something that I hate! And I feel like there's nothing I can do to stop that! If I don't eat; I will! If I _do _eat; I will! I want to… I don't know what to do!"

He took a breath, sucking back his tears and looked to Sen who stared at him with an understanding in her eyes. He wanted to tell her more but… he didn't want to burden her with anymore of his problems. Sniffing back once again, he looked away from her, suddenly feeling heavy guilt and embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry."

"That settles it then," she said, her voice soft.

Ken kept his gaze to the floor as she gripped his hand. "I came here today to help you, Ken," she explained.

Ken remained silent, and his gaze continued to be downcast, he appeared as if he hadn't heard a thing she said. A smile then appeared on her lips, "Starting today, I'm going to be moving in," she stated matter-of-factly. "To help you acclimate yourself to this life style."

Ken looked to her, his red eyes widened and mouth slightly open with a look of confusion on his face. "Moving in?" he repeated, not quite sure he had heard her correctly. then it hit him. "M-moving in!?" he exclaimed, standing up and throwing his hands up. "Y-Y-you don't need to do that. I-,"

"Awww, but Ken," she pouted, feigning hurt, "I thought you liked me."

"I-I do!" he affirmed. "B-but, you don't... you don't have to do all that for me. I don't want to be a -,"

"I do," she finished for him, standing up, smiling at him. "I know that you think that you think you're a burden on me and everyone else, but you need to stop thinking that. Helping Ghouls is what Anteiku was established for. And now that you're one of us proper, there's no excuse for you to be trying to shoulder this all by yourself." She paused and smiled as she saw a slight blush appear on his face. "You look cute in that uniform by the way."

She laughed as his cheeks went full blown red. "Oh, Ken. You really need to get used to a little teasing. After all, if you're going to be rooming with me, you won't last a week," she stated as fact.

(000)

On the streets of Tokyo's 20th ward, making their way through the crowds, two men passed through its borderline with the 4th. One man was tall, imposing, and if you had asked anyone who was paying attention; quite handsome. The other was less so, but still an intimidating sight, in a disturbing manner. He was older and hunched forward, with long gray hair, and a crazed look on his face with one eye significantly wider than the other.

"The 20th ward, huh?" he spoke, mostly to himself. He took a moment to look about his surroundings with a slight smile on his pale face. It was known as a more peaceable ward, with hardly any incidents ever reported, indicating a low Ghoul population. "Haven't been here since the 'Owl' case," he commented. "How Nostalgic…"

The taller of the two, walking alongside the older man also scanned the area about him, though not in a nostalgic manner. He was looking for possible Ghouls. To any ordinary citizen, the two of them would appear as nothing more than businessmen in white making their way to an office. Any Ghoul, however – any Ghoul with a brain that is – would be becoming very nervous about then… As two Ghoul Investigators entered their territory.

"We should hurry and find that Parent and child quickly," he spoke, ignoring the older investigators comments.

The elder man smiled at his young pupil's impatience. No, that wasn't fair to say. It was not impatience that drove Koutarou Amon to want to find the vermin so quickly. It was his sense of duty. It was his strength as much as it was, in the older investigator's opinion, his flaw. He and Koutarou shared the same sense of duty as one another, the same drive. However, Kureo Mado knew that Hunters, which is what they truly were, must learn to wait. Be still. He would learn in time.

"We'll find them, Koutarou," He reassured the younger Investigator as one would a worried child. "It's why we've come here after all."

* * *

**Authors Note: I'm sorry for the wait. Personal... problems came up. Also, for some reason, I just couldn't quite get this chapter to come out the way I wanted. I'll try to get chapters out more regularly, so you don't have to wait another six or so months. I haven't given up on this story, life has just gotten busier. **


	5. Chapter 5

Unraveled Bandages Chapter 5

(000)

Back at the Kaneki's apartment, Eto opened her eyes. The half-Ghoul groaned as she lifted herself from Ken's bed and stretched her back before slumping forwards and rubbing one green eye with her knuckle. "Mm. What time is it?" she asked herself as she looked to the nightstand to her left, where it read 6:00. "The shop'll be open in about an hour, I'd better wake Ken up, or he'll be late."

Throwing her legs over the edge of the mattress, she stood up and stretched once more, letting out another groan. Making her way to the door, she thought about how she was going to wake him up. Of course, she could just wake him normally, but where was the fun in that? In the past few days she had been staying with him, she'd become increasingly aware of his attraction to her. Of course, it didn't make her uncomfortable, it was kind of cute whenever he would blush when she got too close, so she made a point of doing that more often.

She smirked to herself as she recalled the second day after she'd moved in, when she'd tried to get a him a head start by helping him make coffee the way her father had taught her how. There was a particular way of pouring the water into the grinds that her father used, so she decided to show him directly. She had come from behind him and guided his arms, making him pour it in circles slowly. It had been fun to watch him turn tomato red as her breasts rubbed against his back. Of course, she'd never let on that she was purposefully doing it, it was much more interesting that way.

Of course, he was also incredibly jumpy, she'd noticed. There had been a few times where she'd scared him without even intending to. Like the morning prior, when she'd tapped his shoulder to ask him where he'd kept his books (it turns out he had quite the collection in his closet. He even had a copy of _Norwegian Wood _by Haruki Murakami in his collection. Eto was excited for that) and he'd nearly jumped right out of his skin. _Maybe I'll spook him, _she thought to herself. _That should get the adrenaline flowing and wake him up._

As she exited the bedroom, she made her way to the living room and rounded the sofa, only to find out that the pullout bed that he had taken up (after giving her the bed, despite her insistence that she was fine with the pullout) had already been folded back into the couch and Ken was nowhere to be seen.

Eto blinked, "He must've taken off already," she said, a hint of disappointment evident in her voice as she looked to the front door.

(000)

Ken walked hurriedly down the sidewalks of the 20th ward. Anteiku wouldn't be opening for another hour or so, at least, but he wanted to make a good impression on his new coworkers; particularly that Touka girl. After all, she had… helped him when he had almost given into his impulses and devoured Hide. And, according to Sen Takatsuki, he had hurt her during that fight. He didn't remember it at all, and he hadn't been in control, so she had told him not to worry about it, but that didn't help much. _She tried to help me… and I ended up hurting her… _

Trying not to dwell on his mistakes, Ken steered his thoughts toward other things – like how he was currently living with a beautiful woman whom he'd admired for so long. The day it had happened – her moving in – he hadn't truly come to terms with it. He felt like he was in a daze, often wondering if perhaps he had woken up in a different world. There was no way that Sen Takatsuki, his all-time favorite author (and celebrity crush) had decided to share a living space with him, right!? Yet, when he had woken up the next morning, after sleeping on the couch the night before, and had seen her walk out of his bedroom in nothing but a long, white-purple gown, he realized that it was reality (or at least, perhaps a reality he had been transported to).

Of course, he wasn't getting ahead of himself. It wasn't out of romantic or sexual interest that Takatsuki had moved into his apartment – it was out of pity, he knew that. That wasn't to say that Sen didn't care about him. Even he was able to tell that Takatsuki liked him platonically; she had shown as much when she had gone through the trouble of checking on him a few days prior, bringing along her gift – the eye patch. And he'd lost it. He had felt guilty explaining to her that he'd lost it and probably destroyed it in his fight with Nishio, but she'd shrugged it off and had gone out and bought him a new one later that day. Of course, this time when she'd come back, he'd had the intelligence to ask – a bit sheepishly – where exactly she'd gotten them from. _At a pharmacy, of course! Idiot! _He thought to himself cringing a bit as he remembered her answer (though she had explained it in a much nicer way). He sighed as he found himself at the entrance of the coffee shop, _I'm so pathetic… _

Kaneki opened the door and made his way up the steps, leading to the dining floor of the coffee shop. As he climbed the stairs, he began to hear muffled voices coming through the door at the top. He was nervous. He had never worked an actual job before in his life. Scenarios kept playing through his head of him screwing something up – spilling the coffee, or the beans, or breaking the cups. He closed his eyes, took a breath, and exhaled. _It's just a coffee shop, _he told himself, _even you can handle this._

Opening the door, Ken paused for a moment as his eyes landed on Hide, up and about with nothing more than a bandage wrapped around his forehead, talking to Touka. When the pair noticed his presence, Touka seemed to be almost relieved as she quickly made her way behind the counter and Hide seemed to pause for a moment, with a look Kaneki couldn't quite place on his face. The expression quickly vanished and was replaced with a friendly smile and wave.

"Yo, Kaneki!" he greeted, making his way over to his friend. "I was just thanking Kirishima for rescuing us from that car!"

"Car?" Ken asked, staring blankly at Hide, missing the death glare Touka was throwing him from behind the bar.

"Yeah man, don't you remember?" he asked, "Geez you must've hit your head harder than they thought! How'd you get outta' bed before me, huh? Some car swerved around the corner and hit us! I can't believe we're both up and walking right now!" he smiled and put his hand on Ken's shoulder, bringing him in close and whispering, "I gotta' feeling though – that Touka was nursing us back to health the whole time, even if she won't admit it!"

Ken blinked, putting the pieces together. _They must have told Hide __**that **__was what happened. So, he doesn't remember a thing then…? I guess that's convenient for me. _"R-right, of course!" Kaneki agreed, slapping his forehead, "Maybe I did hit my head a bit harder than I realized."

Hide shrugged, "Ah, don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll be fine. After all, you've made your way out of worse accidents than that right? _Way _worse."

Ken immediately understood what the orange haired boy was referring to and laughed a little awkwardly. "Y-yeah. I suppose you're right."

"Anyway," Hide continued, making his way past Kaneki, "I gotta' get back home! Mom's gotta be worried!" and with that, Hide left, the door chime ringing after he closed the it behind him.

Ken exhaled, feeling relieved to know that his secret was safe, then turned to face Touka, who was cleaning a white, porcelain cup over the sink. Swallowing, Ken made his way over to the raven-haired girl, who seemed to not even notice he was there. He smiled kindly at her, even though she didn't seem to be paying attention and opened his mouth to speak. "I-,"

"Be sure he doesn't find out," she told him, still not looking at him.

Ken blinked, "You mean… about what happened with Nishio?"

"That," she sighed, setting the cup down and looking towards him with a cold look in her eyes. "And that you're a Ghoul."

"R-right," Ken said, feeling stupid all of a sudden.

Touka frowned, dissatisfied by his answer. "Listen," she said, her voice growing hard, a complete 180 from the Touka that Kaneki had… well, not known, but had seen ever since he started going to the coffee shop. "If by some chance he finds out about you or Anteiku, then I _will _kill him."

"W-what!?" Ken almost screamed out of fear.

"Calm down," she sighed in annoyance, "He doesn't know anything… Pretty gullible if you ask me, but he's no threat," she paused. "But that doesn't mean he's not in danger."

Ken blinked, beginning to sweat. "W-what do you mean?"

She looked him square in the eyes, "Just because you messed up Nishiki to the point that he's now hiding, doesn't mean he isn't thinking about how to get back at you two once he reaches a hundred percent… He's an asshole, but he's not dumb… Even he can tell when someone flukes their way to victory."

Ken blinked and suddenly felt a bit of anger rising within him. "Y-you mean… You were watching the _whole time_?"

Touka either didn't notice this or didn't care. "No. I came by when he was tossing _you _around. I was _about _to jump in but then… well, then you went all ape shit on him."

"O-oh," Ken replied, feeling his anger subside.

"Anyways, besides Nishio, there are still the Ghouls who frequent this shop. If he starts hanging around too much, they might start to zero in on him," she smirked a little, "Matter of fact a few weeks before your incident, I remember hearing conversation about a 'tasty looking little bookworm'."

Ken gulped, "T-that's not funny…"

Touka kept the smirk on her face but looked away. "Anyway, the manager wanted me to remind you to clock in when you showed up. It's upstairs."

Ken nodded and was about to make his way up the second flight when he remembered what he was going to say to Touka. "Ah, Kirishima," he began, "thank you… For saving Hide from me… I really appreciate it… and I'm sorry for hurting you while I was… hungry."

Touka kept her gaze away from him and crossed her arms. "Stop flattering yourself, you couldn't hurt me if you tried! Get going!"

Ken jumped at the sudden harsh tone of her voice and hurried his way up the stairs leaving Touka at the bottom floor to brood.

_Idiot. I didn't do it for you._

(000)

Oumi Nakamura groaned as he leaned against the walls of Anteiku, wishing the fucking place would open up already. He'd been starving for weeks now and he just wanted some coffee. Growling to himself, he brought up his watch and checked the time. _Another fuckin' hour… _he thought to himself, his lip twitching in annoyance.

His stomach growled once again, and he placed a hand over it in pain. _Fuckin' Rize… Greedy bitch. I thought that when you died, I'd finally be able to find something to eat again, but now Nishio took over. Bastards. Course' he ain't been seen for a few days, though, huh…? _Oumi thought as he began to hungrily scan the crowd. There were people all over, and most of them were heading to work or someplace with a lot of people and many of them were in groups. He frowned when his mouth began to water as the scent of human flesh wafted into his nose and there was nothing he could do about it – no way for him to satisfy himself.

Then, the entrance to Anteiku opened and outstepped a brightly dresses boy, with orange spiked hair, alone, with headphones placed over his ears, oblivious to everyone around him. The kid took a quick glance around himself and then proceeded to walk down the sidewalk, hands stuffed into his jacket pockets as he lost himself in the music.

Omui stared wide eyed from underneath his cap and a small, predatory smile graced his lips. He began to trail behind the kid, keeping his distance. _Maybe I'll get lucky today, _he thought with anticipation.

(Hours later)

"So, you're the new boy, huh?" asked a round faced man who had shown up a little after Kaneki. It had caught Ken off guard because he hadn't spoken a word during the entire time that he had been there – neither did the woman that arrived before him. She had shot him a smile, however, after she'd clocked in, but that was about it. Of course, it could have been that because traffic was dying down, the man decided it would be a good time to introduce himself.

"Ah... yeah," Ken replied, "My name's Ken Kaneki. Nice to meet you."

The man smiled at Ken. He looked friendly enough with his round face and pompadour hairdo. "I'm Koma. Enji Koma," the man introduced himself. "Truth be told, Kaneki, I'm glad that another guy started working around here."

Ken blinked. "You mean, we're the only two men on staff."

Koma nodded. "What you're seeing now is pretty much it. Apart from old man Yoshimura of course," he smiled, placing a hand on the counter and crossing his ankles. "I'll tell you what, it's no joke being the man on staff. The women here run you ragged!" he explained, matter-of-factly, with a smile. "You seem like a reliable guy though, Kaneki. With you around, I'm sure not even the combined efforts of Touka _and_ Kaya can bring us down!"

Ken lifted one side of his mouth in an awkward smile. _If only you knew how wrong you are. Reliable guy? Hah! _"Y-yeah," he stuttered out.

At that moment however, the older woman from earlier appeared from the stairwell, her hand gripping the corner of the entryway. "Enji," she said staring at him with a smile on her face as his eyes widened and he stood up straight at her arrival, "Go check on table 12. Make sure they're satisfied."

Koma scratched his cheek from behind Kaneki, grateful the younger man couldn't see the fear on his features. "You got it," he replied, calmly as he left the counter to go check on the customers.

"You," she said, turning to face Ken, causing him to freeze up and his eyes to widen. She smiled at that. "It's okay," she said with a slight tone of amusement in her voice. "Enji likes to brag. _And _stretch the truth," she added. "Ken Kaneki, right? My name is Kaya Irimi. I'm not as bad as he may have said, believe me. Anyways, the manager wanted to see you upstairs in the lounge."

Ken swallowed, realizing that Koma had been playing up Irimi's attitude. _Or, she's not subjecting me to her wrath quite yet, _Ken considered for a moment before answering her. "R-right. Thanks." With that he moved past her and began to climb the stairs when she stopped him.

"Oh, Kaneki," she spoke, freezing him in his tracks. She smiled as he looked back to her, obviously worried, "you worked hard today, good job."

Ken paused for a moment, then nodded smiling and feeling his cheeks heat up ever so slightly. "Th-thank you."

Ken hurried up the steps and made his way to the lounge, politely knocking on the door once before opening it slightly and announcing himself. "Ah, manager? You wanted to see me?" He paused a bit after he realized that Touka was with him and had a mischievous smirk on her face. Ken swallowed. _W-what's going on?_

"Yes," Yoshimura replied, waving Kaneki in. "I wanted to show you something."

Warily, Ken entered the lounge and looked about, before spotting a plate of triangle cut sandwiches on the dresser than rested against the wall between himself and the other two Ghouls. _Sandwiches? _Ken wondered, _why would a Ghoul make sandwiches?_

"W-what is it, s-sir?" Ken asked, warily.

"A lesson," Yoshimura replied calmly, "in living as a Ghoul." He then walked over to the dresser and picked up one of the sandwiches. "This is one of the first lessons a Ghoul receives in their life. Watch closely." The older man then casually grabbed a triangle slice of the sandwich on the table and lifted it to his mouth, taking a large bite and chewing with a content smile on his face.

Ken's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. _W-what?! He ate the sandwich! B-but he's not even grimacing! _Kaneki continued to watch in disbelief until the man swallowed.

"Well? What do you think?" Yoshimura asked, with a smile on his face.

"Y-you looked like… you enjoyed it?" Ken said, still confused.

He nodded, "Why don't you try?" the manager suggested, motioning towards the sandwiches again. Ken got the feeling that it was more of a command than an offer.

Looking down at the sandwiches he was surprised at how nervous he was feeling. It wasn't that long ago that he would have happily taken one of the neatly cut sandwiches. Now though, he dreaded the thought of how they might taste and how he might react. _But Sen's father ate them easily enough… Maybe they're a special kind of sandwich? Like the coffee or the sugar cubes? _Ken reached for a sandwich and lifted it to his mouth, opening it before he paused again as another thought occurred to him. _Is this… human meat?_

Suddenly, Kaneki began to sweat. _They… they wouldn't do that to me, right? _He pondered, glancing at the Manager and Touka once again. The older man seemed genuine enough, but Touka… Well, she had a rather unsettling grin on her lips. _They've done it once before… _Ken recalled. Then, he began to realized he was taking too long a pause and was beginning to feel self-conscious. _H-He went out of his way to prepare for me… so…! _Ken closed his eyes, asking forgiveness for what he was about to do and took a bite.

It was awful. And for that Ken was grateful to an extent. Almost immediately, he ran to a trash can to spit it out, coughing and nearly vomiting but preventing himself from going that far as he fell to his knees, as droll crept down his chin.

The manger, still smiling, leaned forward and asked Ken, "Are you alright?"

Ken swallowed his spit and looked up at Touka and the manager with watery eyes. He coughed once more. "I'm sorry, Manager but," he paused, picking around his mouth for bits of bread and ham. "But it tastes so awful…" he paused and tried to describe it. It was even worse than the hamburger he'd had at Big Girl with Hide. "The bread tastes like a bland sponge… and the lettuce feels like I'm chewing on soggy grass –," he almost began coughing again as he described it. "The chees tastes like clay and –,"

Ken stopped when he realized the manager and Touka were snickering to themselves. "What… What's so funny?" he asked, feeling like he was suddenly the butt of the joke.

"Nothing," the manager replied, regaining his composure. "It's just that… you said some rather interesting things just then."

"You really are a bookworm," Touka added, "Couldn't you have just settled for 'this tastes like shit'? Weirdo."

Ken frowned and looked off to one side. _Weirdo?_

"The trick is," Yoshimura began, "Not so much as to eat it, but to 'drink' it."

"What?" Ken asked, confused.

"If you chew it up, then you'll end up covering your taste buds and you'll become nauseous. I don't know a single Ghoul who could actually eat a whole bite like that without vomiting. What you do is take a single bite and swallow it whole, then you take another few 'phantom bites' to give the illusion that you're chewing your food and finally you swallow again and try to look satisfied. That's the hardest part, however," he admitted with a thoughtful look and then added, "Don't forget to vomit it back up after a while, though. Human food is more than just disgusting to a Ghoul, it's also hazardous to our health."

The manager paused and looked to the raven-haired teen next to him. "Would you like to demonstrate as well, Touka?"

Touka went noticeably pale and waved him off politely. "I-I don't feel so well today, so I think I'll pass."

As Ken watched them, he began to think to himself how Ghouls had done so much to disguise themselves and blend into human Society as well as if he himself could do what they could. The manager had made it look so easy but… Ken didn't know if he could ever become accustomed to living that way. _It would be easier if… _Ken began, but was cut off by the manager.

"How are you doing on sugar cubes?" he asked, breaking ken from his thoughts.

Ken blinked, then replied, "Well… I lost the ones you gave me a bit ago…"  
The older man nodded. "I'll get you some when your shift ends… Why don't you take the sandwiches home too? To practice on, I mean."

Ken swallowed and looked back to the plate. He didn't want to, but if the manager suggested it then… He probably _should_ do it.

(000)

"God Dammit!" Oumi cursed, slamming the side of his fist against the brick wall to his left. He'd been tailing that orange haired kid all fuckin' day and now he was gone! "I should've been able to follow that pointy haired –," suddenly, his stomach twisted itself in hunger, causing him to double over. "Fuck, I'm starved!" he cursed aloud in anger as he realized he'd be going yet another day with no food.

Then, he spotted movement at the end of the alleyway, leading to an adjacent alley. There was what appeared to be an old man moving around back there. He was thin and sickly looking, but at that point, Oumi would settle for anyone. The whites of his eyes went black and his pupils became a blood red as he cleared the distance of the alleyway, leaping into the air, ready to come down on the unfortunate geezer and rip him to shreds.

That was, until, he saw the briefcase in the man's left hand open up. Suddenly, faster than he could see, an organic, whip-like appendage emerged from the briefcase, slicing clean through Oumi's legs and arms, and causing him to fall into a heap on the alley floor.

As Oumi hit the ground, he heard the old man begin to speak. "My my, you leapt right into the fire…"

"W-what!?" He choked out through the pain.

"Article 12, clause 1 of the Anti-Ghoul act. A species against which special precautions should be taken – known as Ghouls – are distinct in that it is confirmed that they can produce Kakugan and Kagune." He paused and smiled down sinisterly at his would-be assailant. "Same clause, article 2, 'In relation to the target group distinguished as Ghouls, there are no laws that protect those individuals."

"No way! Y-you're a Do-," Oumi was cut short as the appendage attacked him once again, severing his head from his neck.

(-)

"Mr. Mado!" a voice came from the darkness, prompting the older investigator to turn his attention away from the Ghoul body to find Koutarou running up to him. "Sorry! I was to slow," he apologized for his tardiness in apprehending the Ghoul.

"There's no need to apologize, Amon," Kureo assured his protégé, "I'm old, but I'm still limber enough to take on this small fry."

Koutarou looked to the dead Ghoul lying at his superior's feet for a moment before looking to the older man and saying, "We should head back to the 20th ward office and report the incident."

Kureo nodded, "Yes. We needed to go there anyways to take a look through their data on any sightings or reports similar to 723 and 745."

Koutarou nodded and was about to a agree, when he suddenly felt a pair of eyes staring daggers into his back.

Kureo blinked in slight surprise as Koutarou spun around quickly, looking at the roofline of the surrounding buildings, a look like a hawk's in his eyes. The younger man remained that way for a few moments before Kureo spoke again.

"Hmmm? What's wrong, Amon?"

Amon was silent for a moment, before turning and leaving with his superior. "Nothing… I just had a feeling we were being watched."

Unbeknownst to them both, Amon's feeling was correct.

(000)

Ken looked around the shop as he sat behind the counter. It was empty and it was almost closing time. Which was a good thing too, because Ken was exhausted. He'd worked a full day – more than he'd ever worked before. As he looked out the window, he took notice of how dark it had become. Ken smiled to himself a he moved to the window to get a better look at the sky. It was a deep orange-red with dark clouds strewn about, making it look like a nice oil painting. Dusk was probably Ken's favorite part of the day. There was something so peaceful about it.

Then, Kaneki heard the door chime ring out, signaling some new arrivals to the shop. Ken sighed inwardly. _We were just about to close to… _he thought to himself, imagining how nice it would have been to go home and just fall into his – well, he was going to imagine his bed, but currently, he was staying on the couch. _Well, it's the same in the end, I suppose, _he decided as he began to play out the scene of him falling into the pullout bed of his sofa in his mind. "Welcome!" he called out in a somewhat forcefully cheerful voice.

"Oh, a new worker?" a woman asked as Ken turned to face them.

_She must be a regular, _Ken thought to himself, _I'd better put on a good show. _"Yes! I'm Ken Kaneki!" he introduced himself.

Ken also noted that the woman was quite pretty, with thick brown hair and caramel colored eyes. there was also small girl behind her, peeking out from behind her mother's dress. _A mother? _Ken asked himself. _But she looks so young… _

"I'm Ryuko Fueguchi," she introduced herself and pulled her daughter out from behind her. "Come now, Hinami, say hello."

The girl – Hinami – fidgeted a bit under Kaneki's stare, obviously uncomfortable with being put on the spot. Ken smiled to himself a bit. _I get that…_

Ryuko gave an exasperated smile and sigh before turning to Kaneki with an apologetic look. "…Well, she's a bit shy around strangers still…"

Ken smiled at the girl and greeted her. "Hello, Hinami," he said as friendly as he could.

The young girl looked away with an uncomfortable frown. "H-hello," she squeaked out as she retreated behind her mother again.

"Ah, Mrs. Fueguchi," came the familiar voice of the manager as he descended down the stairs, a sack in one hand and a beige package in the other. "I was just coming down to wait for you." He then looked to Kaneki and extended the white sack to him, "Here you are, Kaneki. Try to get some practice in."

Ken nodded and watched as the manager gave Ryuko the beige package and they began to converse. Ken then began to understand what was going on. _They're Ghouls too… _The realization was strange for Kaneki. All the Ghouls he'd met up until that point… well, they had all been characters of some kind. Even Kaya, as quiet as she was, had an air about her. But Ryuko? Ken would have never suspected that such a kind, disarming person could be a Ghoul. _Though, I guess that's the point, huh? _he asked himself with a small smirk.

After the manager and Ryuko had exchanged Goodbye's, he turned to Kaneki and smiled. "Well then, you look tired, Kaneki. Why don't you head home early? Touka and I will take care of closing up."

"W-well, I can stay if you'd like. It's no trouble," Ken offered.

"No, no," the manager refused. "Today was a busier day than usual, we normally close sooner than this. Anyway, head on home and get some sleep."

Ken nodded, mildly thankful.

The Manager then looked to the door where Ryuko and her daughter left and back to Kaneki. "Before you leave though, Kaneki, just one more thing. If a human enters the shop wearing white and carrying a brief case or large hand bag around, come tell me quietly."

Ken blinked, a bit confused. "O-of course," he agreed, "W- what does that mean?"

The manager gave Ken another reassuring smile and turned on his heel, "I'll explain soon enough."

Ken watched as the manager climbed the steps again. _Has… the person been black-listed?_

(000)

Ken let out a small yawn as he made it to his door. The walk home had seemed a lot harder than the walk to work earlier in the day. Ken immediately pulled out his keys and slipped them in the lock and turned it until he felt the mechanism move. He then tried to open the door but, to his surprise, found that it was still locked. _Wha- Oh… Right… _He laughed at himself, _guess it still hasn't set in quite yet…_

Unlocking the door and making his way in, Ken entered the living room to find Sen Takatsuki on his couch, on her laptop. "I'm home," he stated, kicking off his shoes and loosening the tie around his neck.

Sen seemed to almost jump as she realized he'd gotten back. _What was she looking at? She seemed really engrossed, _Ken wondered before dismissing the thought as he set the bag Yoshimura had left him on the counter.

"Welcome home!" She greeted, closing the book and getting up to greet him. "You look tired," she commented.

"I am," he confirmed and began to undo his vest. "I never realized working at a coffee shop could be so… exhausting."

"Well, you are back kind of late. I thought you'd be home before now. Must have been busy for your first day."

Ken smiled a little at her, "Your father said the same thing." Ken then yawned once more and said, "I just wanna fall into a mattress and drift off."

"I bet," Sen agreed and said, "Listen, you can have the bed tonight, okay? I'm fine with the couch."

Ken didn't feel right making a guest sleep on the pullout mattress of the couch, but at this point he wasn't going to argue with her and simply nodded, making his way to his bedroom, passing out on the couch and drifting to sleep.

(-)

Eto watched as Kaneki entered his room and sighed to herself. _At least I convinced him to sleep in his own bed for tonight, _she thought as she went back to sit on the couch. _I've slept on worse than a pullout mattress, Ken, believe me. _Of course, she understood that it wasn't as much Ken thinking she was fragile as much as it was his lack of self-confidence. Eto had a talent for reading people, but you didn't need to have even that to tell that Ken Kaneki didn't think too highly of himself. She had even offered to share the bed with him after he'd offered it to her. The poor boy simply blushed and declined her offer. _We're going to have to work on that. _She thought with a smile.

Smiling to herself and picking up Laptop again, Eto began to scroll down the page to find her place again. However, as soon as she had found it, her cell phone began to vibrate on the table. Slightly annoyed, she set the laptop down once again and grabbed her phone.

Looking at the caller I.D, Eto blinked. _Dad? _She asked herself. Accepting the call, she placed the phone to her ear and said, "Hello?"

"Eto," Her father replied, his tone a bit more serious than she was used to. She suddenly got flashbacks to her younger days when her father would get on to her for nearly blowing their cover. He had never yelled at her when she'd done something that serious, but his tone had always let her know how angry and scared he had been. The sound made Eto nervous.

"Yes? Dad? What's wrong?" she asked, standing up.

"I just spoke with Renji," he said, "Two doves from the main office have been spotted in the 20th ward. Tell Ken that tomorrow I'm giving him the day off so that he can get his mask measurements taken. Can you escort him to Uta's shop? I don't think it's a good idea for him to go alone."

Eto nodded, despite being alone. "Of course."

"Also, I made Ken some sandwiches for him to practice his false-eating on. Be sure he does… And you can have some too, if you like."

Eto smiled, "Thanks, dad. I will. Bye."

Eto ended the call and sat back down, sinking into the couch. _Doves, huh? What are they doing out in the 20__th__?_


	6. Chapter 6

Unraveled Bandages Chapter 6

"Good! Now swallow it!" Eto encouraged as Ken took a bite out of one half of the triangle cut sandwiches her father had prepared. She watched, slightly smirking, chewing the other half as Ken struggled to push the bread, ham, lettuce, and cheese down his throat. It reminded her of watching her father teach Touka the art of faux eating. Of course, even Touka hadn't had as much trouble as Ken seemed to be having. She wondered if he had been a picky eater even before the surgery.

Ken seemed to be getting it down well enough this time; his discomfort was shown on his face as it scrunched up in disgust and his eyes watered, but he continued to soldier on. Suddenly, just like every time they'd practiced that morning, Ken jolted forward a bit and his eyes bulged. He was about to spit the food back up. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately) Eto caught on quickly and gripped him by the jaw, squeezing his mouth shut. "Swallow~," she repeated sweetly, with a smile. She saw the panic and the pleading in Ken's eyes as he realized that he wasn't going to be able to spit the sandwich out; but he saw the amusement and resolve in hers and knew: he wasn't going to be able to get out of it this time. Furrowing his brow and letting out a muffled groan he forced the muscles in his throat to swallow.

Eto watched as his throat relaxed and his nostrils flared wide, sucking down oxygen, and released her death grip on his jaw. Kaneki took a deep breath the moment she had let go and slumped forward panting over his kitchen table. Ropes of spittle hung from his chin and his eyes watered to the point where it appeared that he had been crying. If she hadn't seen the sight four times beforehand, she would have accused Ken of being overdramatic.

In fact, this attempt, he'd made actual progress. Every other time Ken had spit up the sandwich the moment it had touched his tongue, this time however he managed to get it down. It had been with her help, admittedly, but he had still made the effort.

"You got it down this time!" she congratulated him, with a smile. "Of course, it's not so much getting it down that's important as it is getting it down _convincingly_."

Ken looked like he was about to say something when his eyes widened once more and his mouth closed tight, followed by him rushing to the kitchen trash can and hurling into it. Eto sighed closing her eyes, keeping the smile on her face. "_And _keeping it down too," she added.

Ken lifted his head up from the trash can and wiped off the spittle running down his chin. "Sorry…" he apologized. "I've just… I've never tasted something _so _awful before."

"Well I don't want to waste the rest of my dad's sandwiches, so we're done for today," Eto said, eliciting a sigh of relief from Kaneki who didn't know how many more times he could punish himself to eat the managers sandwiches.

"By the way," Ken asked, pushing himself up from the trash can, "Why did the manager give me the day off today?"

He had woken up early again that morning and was in the process of heading out the door when Eto woke up from the pullout mattress and stopped him. Ken supposed that he should have been relieved to have a day off, however it had only served to make him nervous. _It's only my second day… Did I screw it up already?_

"You and I are going on a trip," Eto replied, rising from the kitchen chair. She then glanced at the digital clock in the living room. "Actually, I'm glad you reminded me. We should get going soon, I just need to change." she said, as she made her way to the living room to grab some clothes from her bag. She couldn't very well go in her night gown.

"W-where to?" Ken asked, one anxiety replaced by another. Ken could tell by Eto's inflection that the 'trip' would be Ghoul related.

"The 4th ward," she answered, picking out a large shirt and some black leggings, looking them over for a moment and shrugging.

"What for?"

Eto began walking towards Ken's room to change. "It's a surprise," she said, smiling to herself as she entered his bedroom and shut the door behind her, leaving poor Kaneki to stew in his own anxiousness while she got dressed.

(000)

Ken soon found himself within a crowded train car in the Tokyo Metro, holding on to the overheard handles tightly as the locomotive rocketed through the tunnels beneath the city. Ken had never liked the subway, ever since he was a child. He hated it because it made him feel like everyone was watching him. Whenever he'd hear someone start giggling, he knew logically chances were it was because they were talking to their friends and they had told them a funny joke, or they were watching a video on their phones. Despite that however he always managed to twist the situation in his head to where he believed that they were laughing at him. Why? Maybe because he was short, or because he was too skinny. Maybe it was the way he was dressed? Maybe it was because, most of the time, he was alone.

Because of that, he generally walked or biked most places. If it was further away then he would just leave an hour or two ahead of time, so he wouldn't be late. Takatsuki had wanted to take the metro, however. Ken had passively agreed to it because he hated the idea of inconveniencing other people because of his own silly anxiety. Now, however, he was beginning to wish he'd said something.

Before, being around people was a source of anxiety because he was afraid of being judged or laughed at. Now though… He was afraid of losing control. The idea had come suddenly into his mind; what if he lost it in the train car, where these people had nowhere to escape to? What if he went feral like he had after his fight with Nishiki? He felt cold and hot at the same time and he felt like he was having trouble breathing. _No… _he told himself, closing his eyes. _No, no, no, no… I-I won't let myself…_

_**But you almost did.**_

Ken's eyes shot opened and he tensed. He began to once again recall himself slobbering over Hide. It was like a switch had been flipped inside of him and he was a completely different person at that time. That scared him like nothing else. It was like he had become everything he had feared. At times it felt so far away, like a fever dream, but he knew, deep down, that it had been real.

_No, no, no, no, no, _he repeated to himself. _I – I don't want to! I don't want to! _

_**It doesn't matter what you want! You can't control yourself when it comes down to it!**_

Ken reached into his hoodies front pocket, grasping at the sugar cube container the manager had given him at the end of his shift the night before. The thought that they were so close gave him some comfort, but even then, he still knew that their effects had become increasingly dull every time he'd used them. His tolerance would eventually be too high for them to have any affect.

_**Then what?!**_

His heart rate began to increase, and he felt like it was getting harder to breath. His heart had begun to drum so loud now, that he could hear it pounding in his ears, and the world began to spin. He wanted to sit down but couldn't find a place to. He wanted to gasp for air, but he didn't want to make a scene. He wanted to stop thinking, but his mind would not stop racing.

The world seemed to slow as his eyes darted around, looking at the people around him. A month or two ago, he would have been relieved to see that no one was paying any attention to him; now, however, he was scared for their lives. They had no idea that they were in the same train car as a monster who could potentially, at any moment, snap and attack them. His eyes continued to dart around as sweat began to form on his forehead until something caught his eye.

There, just passed the shoulders of a salary man and a young woman, was the form of a purple haired woman, hands folded in front of her, clutching a white purse. She stared at him with those red eyes from underneath her hair, a predatory grin on her lips. Ken's eyes widened as he realized what was happening.

_No! Please! Not again! _He pleaded to Rize's ghost, as he felt himself go cold. _Not here!_

Involuntarily, Ken made a small noise of terror and flexed his free hand out of fear. Then, he felt Sen once again grip his hand tightly. Like she had done at the bookstore, like she had done in the alley, and like she had done when she'd visited him for the first time. He looked to her as his chest heaved and saw her face as she looked back at him.

She was calm and smiling at him reassuringly. The look in her emerald eyes conveyed a promise of protection; like a safety net. "You're okay," she said softly, stroking her thumb on the back of his hand gently. "Deep breaths," she told him, maintaining eye contact.

Ken followed her advice and found his breath finally and the sound of his heartbeat faded away as it began to slow. He looked to the floor and closed his eyes, letting out a shaky sigh. He opened them again and took a deep breath through his nose before looking back to Sen. He opened his mouth to say something to her, but he couldn't form the words. He looked back at the floor and began to take deep steady breaths.

Suddenly, he found himself being led through the subway car by Sen until they made it to the very end, where there was more room and it wasn't as crowded. There they found two seats in the corner of the car and sat down, with Ken against the wall. There Ken began to fully calm down, placing his right hand over his chest, leaning back until his skull touched the window, and closing his eyes.

He remained like that for a few moments before he felt Takatsuki's hand touch his lower right thigh, rubbing it softly and patting it gently. Opening his eyes, Kaneki looked to Takatsuki, she continued to give him a reassuring look, but there was something akin to worry in her eyes. He wanted to say many things to her at that moment. Thank you, mostly, but all he could manage out was a low toned, "I'm sorry."

(000)

After exiting the metro at Shinjuku station, Ken and Takatsuki continued foot, making their way through the streets of the 4th ward. Immediately after stepping out of the subway car, Kaneki began to calm down. Now, at least, he was in an area that people could run away from. "So, where are we going?" he asked, trying to get his mind off his little episode in the train car.

Sen looked him over for a moment before answering with a smirk; "You'll see."

Ken frowned at her. "W-why won't you tell me what we're doing?"

"I don't want to spoil it for you!" she answered, as if it were obvious. "I have a feeling you'll like this; This is one part of this life that I think everyone enjoys!" Sen then began making her way out of the station, motioning for Ken to follow.

Ken sighed silently. He_** didn't **_like surprises, though. He hated the idea of going into something unprepared, it made him anxious. Still, he decided not to argue with her. For one, it wasn't like she would budge; her will was far stronger than his. Secondly, trying to guess what it was kept his mind occupied and currently; anything that he could ponder on that kept him from reminding himself about what he'd become – he was grateful for.

When they made their way to the surface, Ken was immediately assaulted by the bright colors and crowds of people. The 20th ward of Tokyo, Nerima was its given name, was a more rural area with lots of neighborhoods and small shops. That wasn't to say there weren't any attractions, such as the aqua building, but compared to the 4th ward, it was bare bones.

He saw hundreds of neon signs jutting out of the sides of buildings, advertising restaurants, arcades, manga stores, theatres and, hidden deep in the jumble of advertisements, love hotels. For a split second, Ken allowed himself the idea that Sen was going to take him one. His cheeks heated up for a moment, but Ken wasn't fooling himself, there was no way that would happen.

"Come on," Sen said as she began to move through the crowd of people so casually; seamlessly wading in an out through her fellow pedestrians, like a lion moving through a herd of buffalo. It would have been very impressive to Ken if he hadn't lost sight of her almost immediately as he clumsily tried to follow her, bumping into people and apologizing as he did so, earning some embarrassing remarks from the crowd. Ken began to panic once again as he scanned the crowd, looking for Sen, but finding nothing.

"M-Miss Takatsuki!" he called out, anxiety setting in as he was quickly surrounded by a sea of people. lights, noise, the disgusting smell of human food (that was much more potent in the 4th than the 20th he noted), and judgmental looks overwhelmed him as he wandered aimlessly, swimming against the current.

Ken was about to try and find a way out, when he felt a hand suddenly grab his wrist. Surprised, he looked to where it had come from, finding a familiar pair of green eyes staring at him. "There you are," Sen said with a smile. "I'm sorry, I kinda just left you in the dust, huh? Follow me."

Ken was about to reply when she took off once again, this time, thankfully, taking him with her. This time, Ken got the chance to be impressed, and doubly so, as she once again smoothly traversed the crowds with him in tow. He wondered how she had learned how to do this, or if it was something that came naturally to her. Either way, he was just happy that she came back for him.

As they continued, the crowd began to dissipate slightly and Sen stopped, letting go of Kaneki, allowing him to get his bearings. "You think you can keep up now, or do I need to hold your hand?" she asked, smirking at him.

Ken's face heated up as embarrassment struck. "I-I'm good," he told her, looking to his feet. "T-thank you, again… I'm sorry."

Sen frowned and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Listen, you don't have to be embarrassed about needing help. Some people just do, you know. It doesn't bother me at all. Just let me know, 'kay?"

Ken smiled lightly at her words. _That's how they all start out. Then they realize how much of a burden I am… _he commented to himself. "Thank you," he replied, placing his left hand to his chin, "I will."

Sen smiled at him. "Now, it'll take us a little off course, but there's something I want to see while we're in Shinjuku. You don't mind, do you?"

Ken shook his head, "Not at all," he paused. "W-what is it you want to see?"

"That big Godzilla head they have! You know the one, right?"

Ken blinked. _Godzilla? I never would have guessed that Miss Takatsuki… Well, she doesn't seem the type. _

Sen crossed her arms and raised a brow, barely hiding her smile. "What's with that look?"

Ken blinked again. "N-nothing."

"No. I know that look; you think it's odd that I like Godzilla, don't you?"

Ken opened his mouth to refute her accusation but decided against it. "Maybe a little. You just don't seem like that type of person."

"What do you mean? Of course, I like him! I write thrillers and horror books! Of course, I enjoy a nice monster flick every now and then. Besides, we're so alike!"

Ken smiled at her. "Alike?"

"Yes! He's messy, I'm messy. He's loud, I'm loud," she paused, looking for another comparison and smirked when she found one. "He's green, I'm green."

At that Ken laughed aloud, startling Sen for a moment. Ken continued to laugh, until he realized that Takatsuki was staring at him, smiling. Feeling his face heat up once again, he stopped and scratched his right cheek. "S-sorry," he apologized for his outburst.

At that Sen replied, "Don't be. It's just… I think that's the first time I've seen you laugh since I've met you."

(000)

After their little detour, Ken found himself wandering the back streets of the 4th ward, following Takatsuki, who so confidently strode down the trash filled alleys and cracked sidewalks. They had made their way into a more residential area of the 4th ward, where there was not so much human traffic. Ken _should _have been able to find some solace in that; he hated crowds anyway, but the pathways they wandered now only served to make him anxious.

Despite the area being residential, graffiti covered many of the walls and there was hardly anyone on the streets; the only evidence that anyone lived there at all was because of the occasional domestic screaming match that would break out from one of the surrounding buildings, occasionally followed by the sound of breaking glass. Every corner they rounded prompted Ken to wonder if there would be some mugger ready with a knife. The irony of a Ghoul being intimidated by a mugger was not lost on Ken, and he allowed himself a small smirk as he thought of how silly the idea was. _I supposed that's one positive out of all this, _Ken thought, placing a hand to his stomach, _I don't have to worry about getting attacked on the street… Well, not by a human._

Suddenly, Sen stopped almost causing Kaneki to stumble into her, lost in thought. "Here we are," she announced, focused on a building to Ken's left.

Following her line of sight, Ken turned as well. He was immediately greeted by a beige colored, squared building with a single window at the front to the left of a dark brown door. To the right of the door, seemingly graffitied on as well, was a stylized sun with something written in the roman alphabet in the center.

Recalling his mandatory English courses as best he could, Ken tried to make out what it read. "Hy -," he sounded out the first half of the name, "- Sy… HySy?"

"Impressive," Sen congratulated him, "You got it right the first time."

"What is this place?" Ken asked, looking to her.

"This," she began, "is a mask makers shop. We're getting you a mask today."

"A mask?" Ken asked, "What for?"

Sen looked around herself, casually but quickly, before making her way towards the door. "I'll explain inside."

Making their way inside the shop, Kaneki was surprised to find just how sharply it's interior contrasted it's exterior. Bright red walls with masks surrounded them on all sides, a pitch-black ceiling hung above their heads, and the floor was tiled in a checkered pattern. Not to mention the displays in the in the center of the shop. Rows of life size bust stood in the center of the shop, each with a different mask on them. There was a clown mask, a demon mask, a humorous caricature of a man's face, a seven eyed mask, and a rather odd looking one with a big lipped smile, and a cross and heart where it's eyes should have been.

"W-where's the owner?" Ken asked, as he began to scan the rows of masks lining the walls.

Takatsuki didn't say a word, instead she casually walked over to a covered display and yanked the sheet off, revealing a man sitting beneath, knees tucked into his chest, and two glowing red eyes staring right at Kaneki, causing the college student to jump and scream in surprise.

"Here," Sen said, tossing the sheet to the floor.

"You're no fun," the Ghoul replied lowly as he stood up from the display stand, revealing his full height, towering above Ken and Takatsuki, making the display stand seem like a bar stool. "I wanted to scare him."

Sen looked over to Ken and back to the tall Ghoul. "It looks like you accomplished that," she replied as she made her way to Kaneki.

"It would have been more effective if he found me himself," the man somewhat pouted back.

"This," Takatsuki said, gaining Ken's attention once again, "is Uta. He makes Ghoul masks."

"Yo," Uta replied, coolly, raising a hand in greeting.

It was strange for Kaneki, seeing someone who looked so dangerous and delinquent be so soft spoken and polite. He had piercings on his lower lip and above his eyebrows, not to mention the numerous tattoos he was covered in. Not too intimidated to forget his manners however, Ken managed to stutter out: "I-I'm Ken Kaneki… N-nice to meet you."

Uta tilted his head at Kaneki and asked, "You're the one Eto's dad mentioned…?"

Ken was about to reply when Uta leaned forward and began to sniff at him, like a dog.  
"Your scent is unusual," he commented with intrigue tangible in his voice. "But it's a lot like Eto's."

Kaneki suddenly felt _**very **_uncomfortable and looked over to Sen with a pleading look in his eyes.

Sighing, Takatsuki walked over to Uta and pulled him back by the collar of his loose-fitting shirt. "Down, boy," she ordered smirking at him.

"Oh," Uta said, backing up and giving Ken an apologetic smile, "Sorry about that." He then shifted his attention back to Sen and asked: "This guy needs a mask, right?"

"That's right," she affirmed, now admiring the mask collection herself.

"S-speaking of which," Ken interrupted. "W-why exactly do I need a mask?"

Uta looked to Sen. "You haven't told him?"

Ignoring the mask maker, Takatsuki turned to Ken and said, "From now on, we're going to have to be careful. Recently, two new investigators from the 1st ward showed up in the 20th."

"Just two investigators?" Ken asked, raising a brow. He'd heard about investigators before, before he was a Ghoul even, even catching a glimpse of one once or twice. He had certainly thought about them, but the rest of Anteiku never seemed especially worried before… "I mean there are investigators in the 20th already, what difference does two more make?"

"That's true," Eto admitted, "but the investigators of the 20th ward are the devil we know rather than the devil we don't. They are a threat, sure, but they also operate in one of the most docile wards in Tokyo. Anteiku practically does their job for them in terms of keep Ghoul predation down. The 1st ward investigators, however, are entirely different beasts."

Ken began to feel nervous now. "H-how so?"

"Think of it this way," Uta interjected suddenly, with his calm voice. "In the 20th , Ghouls like the 'Binge Eater' and that 'Gourmet' guy can run amuck for months or years before being caught or killed, right? Even here in the 4th, where the presence of the CCG is heavier, there are still trouble making Ghouls who are at large. Well, in the 1st ward, Ghouls practically don't exist."

Kens throat felt dry. _Don't exist? _He repeated, _they wiped them all out? And now two investigators from the first ward have come here… _

"Anyways," Uta continued, pulling out an actual bar stool and placing it near Ken. "Sit down, I'm going to measure you."

"O-Okay," Ken replied reluctantly as he made his way to the seat, timidly sitting down and keeping his gaze to the ground as Uta went to the back room.

As Ken awaited Uta's return, he glanced to Sen, who was busy admiring the masks displayed on the walls and on the busts, occasionally taking one down and pressing it to her face before placing it back and going to look at more. _That guy said that the 4__th__ ward also had a heavy CCG presence, right? Then why is she so calm here? She treats coming here like it's a vacation. And that guy… I'm pretty sure his eyes were red when we came in, like mine get when I'm hungry. Is he reckless or does he just not care?_

A moment later Uta returned from the back of the shop, carrying with him a small box that he set on the table next to Kaneki. Then, he leaned forward in front of Kaneki's face, prompting the one-eye to back up slightly, before grabbing him by the cheeks and turning his head slightly, examining him.

_W-what's he doing? _Ken wondered, slightly annoyed as his head was moved about against his will.

"First things first," Uta spoke up, "Just so I don't make the mask uncomfortable for you; do you have any allergies to rubbers or metals?"

"I don't… think so?" Ken answered. He'd never heard of a metal allergy before.

"Do you want a full face one?" The mask maker asked.

Ken opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by Uta.

"But I think a half mask is better for a first timer."

Ken frowned, slightly annoyed, but he figured he should listen to another Ghoul on this. Not to mention that this was his profession. "I-I'll leave it to you…"

Uta let go of Ken's face and moved to the box to grab a tape measure; then he moved behind Kaneki and wrapped the tape around his forehead until he made a full circle. "The eye-patch is cute," he commented, "do you like them?"

"Ah… n-no," he paused, "Well, I don't dislike them but…"

"That's a gift from me," Sen answered from across the room, "Remember how I couldn't control my kakugan very well? He's the same way."

Uta hummed in acknowledgement, still focusing on Kaneki. "So, it's fine if you're full then?" he asked reaching into his pocket and pulling out an eyeball. "Want a snack?"

Ken felt cold as he stared at the dismembered eye and he supposed he was mildly thankful for that. At least he knew that he was still disgusted by gore. "N-No thanks," Ken stammered out.

"Still, I kind of like how it looks on you," he commented. "Okay, an eyepatch." He then grabbed a notepad out from the box and began to scribble something down on it. Ken suddenly felt a bit grossed out when he saw Uta begin to take a bite out of the eyeball. Again, though, he was mildly thankful for that feeling of disgust.

"Okay, what's next?" Uta asked himself as he placed his right hand over his mouth and looked off at the wall. Then, he looked to Kaneki and asked, "Do you have a lover? Or maybe a few?"

Kens cheeks flared a bit. "N-no..! I've never really had any either…" he muttered the last bit. _I'm flattered that you'd ask, though._

"Hmmm," Uta murmured to himself, taking another bite, "So do you like younger girls?" he asked. "You don't think girls your… own age… are attractive?"

"I-I'm not a lolicon!" Ken replied in hushed embarrassment.

"Then you like older women?"

"If our ages are close, then I guess it doesn't really matter that much…" Ken replied, starting to let his annoyance show a bit. "I-is there a point to asking these types of questions?"

"Very much so," Uta replied, sliding the tape measure down to Ken's eyes. "There more I know about my client, the more motivated I am to make the mask as high quality as I can. It's a passion as much as it is a job."

Ken remained silent, suddenly feeling a bit stupid for asking.

"You know Touka? What about her?"

"N-no," Ken replied.

"You don't think she's cute?" Uta asked.

Kaneki's cheeks flared once again. "W-well, she is cute… I suppose. But, she's also scary… And I don't think she likes me very much."

"Scary, huh?" Uta replied, as he began to measure Ken's cheeks. "I've never thought of Touka as a scary or even mean person… To me, she's more of a hard worker."

"A hard worker?" Kaneki asked.

Uta paused, pulling back the tape measure. "It's often said among Ghouls that blending in with Humans is like walking a tightrope; every moment you have to try your hardest not fall. In Touka's case however, it's almost more like she's walking on string. Having a job as a Ghoul is one thing but going to school is another thing entirely. You are constantly surrounded by people in close proximity and one slip up can ruin your life completely."

Ken paused looking to the floor. "I wonder why then… Wouldn't it be easier for her to avoid school altogether?"

"That is a good question," Uta commented, measuring Ken's chin. "It _is _true that you could isolate yourself and live alone safely, but… I feel I'm the same way a little. Occasionally a human customer will wander into the shop. When that happens, I always get a little excited and it's not because of hunger. I can't quite explain why, but I'm really happy to have them."

Ken recalled back to the day he fought with Nishio, to before the whole incident. He remembered the feeling he got when he saw Hide and Nishiki searching through his dorm together; how happy and hopeful he felt when he saw a human and a Ghoul working together. _That _moment may have been a lie, but perhaps it's the same feeling for Touka and Uta.

"Alright, I'm done taking your measurements," Uta spoke, breaking Ken from his thoughts, "I'll send it to Anteiku when I finish it."

"Ya' done?" Takatsuki asked as she suddenly appeared next to them

"Yeah," Uta replied, grabbing his box and moving to the back room. "I'll get started on it tonight, but it'll probably be a few days before I finish."

Sen nodded and looked back to Ken. "Are you excited?"

"Excited?" Kaneki replied

"You know, to see your mask."

"Oh," Ken said, "I-I suppose so…"

"I am," Sen told him, looking around the shop, "Uta always masks the most creative masks."

"I wonder what mine will be… He said it would be a half mask," Ken replied.

"Well, we should get going. You have work tomorrow, so we can't stay out too late," Takatsuki suggested before turning to face the entrance to the back room. "We're leaving, Uta! I can't wait to see the mask!"

As the pair left the shop, Uta appeared once again and smiled as he saw them disappear. _Hmmm… They go rather well together._

(000)

Eto yawned as she followed Ken back into his living room, stretching her arms before falling on the sofa, letting out a satisfied groan. It was dusk by the time Ken and Eto made it back to the 20th ward which was nice considering they were both pretty tired. At least _she _was, Ken always seemed tired, so she could never really tell. _Maybe he is always tired, _she thought to herself with a small smirk as she looked past her feet to her host who had made his way into the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

She watched as Ken made his way to the living room and sat down on the chair next to the couch, leaning into the back and closing his eyes for a moment before grabbing the remote on the coffee table and switching on the tv.

"You tired?" she asked, sitting up slightly.

Ken looked to her and paused for a moment. "Y-yeah," he replied, nodding and looking back to the tv.

"What are you doing over there?" Eto asked, sitting up, "You can sit next to me, you know. I don't bite."

Ken looked back to her and then to his glass of water, "I-I'm okay."

Eto raised a brow. She wondered why he was so reluctant to get close to people. Of course, she had considered that her constant teasing may have been off putting to him, but she couldn't help it. Well, she could, but he was just far too fun to tease. Seeing him get all red faced was cute. She didn't think that was the problem here though.

"You know, Ken, when a lady offers you to sit next to her, you should take her up on it," she said, smiling at him. "You could really hurt her feelings by rejecting her," she added with a fake pout.

That seemed to get through to him as a small smirk graced his lips and he stood up, setting the glass down and moving over sit on the opposite end of the couch.

Sen silently sighed and scooted down the end, until she was touching his shoulder. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Ken paused for a moment before answering: "I'm okay… Like you said, I'm just tired."

"You sure?" she asked, again.

Ken looked to her, smiling and nodding. "Yeah, it was just… a long day."

Eto kept her eyes locked with his for a while as she studied him. He certainly looked tired, and maybe that really was all it was but… Eto had her doubts. "So… What happened on that train?"

Eto saw Ken's eyes widen a bit before he looked away from her and back to whatever was playing on the tv.

"Nothing," he answered quickly. "I-it was just… I-I'm claustrophobic… I can't really stand being so boxed in. All those people around me… I just couldn't handle it."

Eto nodded. It made sense, he _had _calmed down when she'd pulled him away from the crowd and to a less occupied part of the car. Still though, she felt like there was more to it than just claustrophobia. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "You should have told me, or else I would have called a cab for us."

"It's okay," Ken assured Eto, smiling at her. "I didn't want to hinder you. Besides… It's something I really should grow out of."

"No," Eto replied standing up and moving behind the couch. "It's not okay."

Ken followed her around with his head. "W-what are you doing?" he asked, standing up when he realized she was moving behind him.

"Sit," Eto said, motioning to the couch. "Let me make it up to you."

Ken's cheeks turn red and he began to scratch the back of his neck. "I-it's okay! Really. It wasn't -,"

"Sit," Eto repeated. "It may be okay with you, but it's not to me. Let me make it up to you."

Ken seemed to think it over for a moment, before conceding and slowly sitting back down, back turned to her.

Eto placed her hands between his shoulders and his neck and began to press her thumbs into his back. She heard Ken take in a sudden breath and stiffened at her touch for a moment, but quickly relaxed and exhaled as she continued to massage him. She smiled at his reaction, but her smile soon faded as she felt all the knots in Ken's back. "You're really tense back here," she commented, moving down his back and working her fingers harder.

"R-really?" he replied, voice fluctuating as she applied more pressure. "I-I never really noticed.

_How? _Eto thought to herself as she continued on. "When was the last time you had someone massage your back for you?"

Ken seemed to pause for a moment, before answering: "I don't really remember… I don't know if I've ever really had a massage before."

Eto frowned, "Well, I guess we'll just have to do this more often then."

"Oh," Ken started, "Y-you really don't have to do that, Miss Takatsuki I –,"

"Hey," Eto cut him off, "Didn't I already tell you my real name? You can call me that if you'd like. You don't have to be so formal about it. Miss Takatsuki makes me sound like an old woman."

Ken paused for a moment. "I-I don't know, That's," he paused once more. "W-why don't I just call you Sen?"

Eto smiled at him from behind. _Well, we'll get there eventually, I guess. _"Sure. Call me Sen."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Ken sat across from Sen at the dinner table once again, a single small plate before him with a triangle cut sandwich and a water bottle on it. It had been a couple of days since he'd last practiced his faux eating, and he'd been putting it off since. That was until Sen had had enough of him dodging her suggestions to try again - leading them to now. Kaneki looked from the sandwich to her as she watched him expectantly, eating the other half. Ken exhaled quietly and looked back to the meal on his plate. _Okay. Let's do it._

Kaneki picked the sandwich up and put it to his mouth taking a sizable bite and swallowing it, imitating chewing as he did so. The ham, cheese, and lettuce made it halfway down Ken's throat before he began to taste it and his body threatened to force him to spit it out. Sen saw this and paused her chewing, leaning slightly forward, ready to prevent Ken from spitting it back up. But Ken quickly gripped the water bottle and unscrewed the top, pressing the bottle to his lips and gulping down the liquid inside, which helped push the sandwich into his stomach, all the while trying his hardest to maintain his composure, trying not to let the panic and disgust show on his face. When he swallowed all the water, he took a breath and looked back to Sen who was staring at him with a satisfied smirk.

"That was pretty good, Ken," she commented. "You're definitely improving; if I hadn't known any better, I wouldn't have guessed that you faux eating."

"R-really?" Ken asked, feeling something akin to pride in his chest.

Sen nodded. "Yeah! The only thing I'd work on is that pause that you take when you swallow. You also took a pretty big sip, which could be looked on as suspicious," she pointed out. "Also, try not to rely on water so much, because taking a sip after every bite is also suspicious. Other than that, I'd give it a passing grade."

Ken smiled to himself. It was nice to know he was improving at least. _Maybe… I can do this… _He thought, feeling a bit of relief flow over him. "Thanks, Sen."

Eto smirked to herself as she saw Ken's cheeks heat up a bit. "When you go in tonight, take the last sandwich and eat it in front of dad. I'm sure he'd be happy to see it."

Ken nodded, "Sure." _Maybe I can show Touka too, if she's there. _Ken thought. She had taken off the past few days to study for exams, leaving him to work with Enji and Kaya. If Ken were being honest, he preferred it when she wasn't there, because then he didn't get yelled at and didn't feel like he was constantly under watch - Kaya and Enji were much more relaxed.

With his mind drifting to work, Ken let his eyes wander to the clock, noticing that his shift was beginning in a few hours. He would've already been at work, but the manager had asked him to come in later. He said something about wanting him fresh for later. Ken had wondered what he meant by that, but if it meant he got to sleep in the day after, he didn't really care. "I'm going to have a nap," Ken said, standing up from the table, "The manager said he wanted me fresh for later tonight."

Sen blinked and her eye's widened. "Oh… Really?" she asked, sounding surprised.

Ken nodded "Yeah, I'm pretty grateful, really. I got some extra hours of sleep last night."

Eto looked him over for a moment before saying. "I was wondering why you didn't wake up before me today. I was gonna wake you up, but you seemed to be enjoying yourself, so I decided against it."

"Thanks for that," Ken said as he began to walk towards his bedroom. He was halfway down the hallway when the doorbell rang suddenly, causing him to pause.

Sen looked from the door back to him and asked, "Are you expecting anyone today?"

Ken shook his head as he made his way to the door and looked through the peep hole. Immediately his heart jumped, and he felt a small chill run down his body as he saw his aunt standing at the other end of the peephole. Her arms were crossed angrily and she had a scowl on her face. Just behind her, he could see Yuuichi, his cousin, playing some handheld, apathy on his face. _Oh no… what is it? What did I do?_

Ken was frozen for a moment, as he rested his head against the door, holding his breath. He was eventually broken out of his statuesque state when the doorbell was rung twice more and there was a quick knocking on the door, right where he rested his head. Exhaling, Ken raised his head and opened the door.

"H-Hello, Aunt Yumi," he greeted, trying and failing to keep his voice from shaking. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Yes, actually," she said, suddenly and sharply, causing Ken to unconsciously back up slightly. "You can explain to me why you're not showing up for classes and not turning in your assignments!"

"W-well, ever since the accident, I haven't been feeling really well so -,"

"That was over a month ago, Ken! Stop making excuses! We pay for your tuition, you ungrateful brat! Start taking things more seriously! It's already bad enough that you decided to focus on such a useless major like literature, the least you could do is actually attend the classes _we _pay for!"

Ken looked, red faced with embarrassment, from his aunt to Yuuichi, who was seemingly drowning out the conversation, by turning away and keeping his gaze locked on the handheld device. "I-I know… And I appreciate it all… That's why I got that job, so you didn't have to pay for my apartment anymore. I'm really so-,"

"If you want to drop out, then just say so!" she barked at him, "Don't make us waste our money on you anymore than we have to!"

Ken put his palms up and shook his head. "No, it's not that at all! I-I've just been struggling is all. I… I promise that I'll get my grades back up, really, I-I just," Ken stopped himself as it looked like his aunt was about to unleash another verbal assault on him, but was confused for a moment as a look of surprise appeared on her face.

Ken let out a surprised gasp as two slender arms snaked down his chest in a crossing motion and Sen's head appeared next to his as she pressed her chin into the crook of his neck. "What's going on here?" She asked in a sultry voice, staring directly at Ken's aunt. "Who's this rude woman?"

_What is she doing!? _Ken wondered, red-faced.

Ken's aunt was silent for a moment before her brows furrowed. "So, this is what's causing your grades to slip…" She spoke.

"N-," Ken started, but was cut off as Eto tightened her grip around him, letting out an amused giggle.

"Ken~" she cooed, pressing her face closer to Kaneki's. "Come back to bed~. What's this old lady got that I don't, huh?"

"T-this is my -,"

"Old lady!?" Ken's aunt screeched. "You little tramp! How dare you –,"

"What kind of rude old woman, talks to her nephew this way?" Eto asked, cutting off Ken's aunt with a sudden cold edge to her voice. "What a pitiful little thing you are. Ken was crushed by steel beams barely over a month ago and instead of coming to check on him, you're here to berate him. Did you even _visit _him in the hospital?"

Ken's aunt was taken aback by the accusation. "I -, Of course I did!"

"Did she, Ken?" Eto asked looking from his aunt to Kaneki, who was also taken aback by Sen's sudden attack.

Ken's eyes shifted from his aunt to Sen. "Yes," ken answered. He then paused for a moment as Sen looked intently at him. "Well… She _called_ me while I was in the hospital."

Ken's aunt was red with anger and embarrassment at that moment and she looked at Ken with what looked like a look of betrayal on her face. "You ungrateful… After all I've done for you… If I hadn't promised your mother I'd take care of you after she passed, I'd have nothing to do with you! Understand!? Ingrate!" she yelled, before turning and leaving in a huff, leaving Yuuichi there staring at Ken and Sen with a look of surprise and a red tint on his face.

"Come on, Yuuichi!" She called, prompting Ken's cousin to hurry after her.

"What an awful woman," Eto remarked as she let go of Ken as he sighed and shut the door.

"You shouldn't have done that…" Ken said, turning to face her, only then noticing she was still in her pajamas (something to wear and sleep in around the house that wasn't her nightgown, much to Kaneki's behest). "She… can be mean… and neglectful, but she still did look after me when my mother died… She could have left me to an orphanage, but she took me in despite already having a son of her own."

"What?" Sen asked, incredulous. "Ken. Just because she decided to house you doesn't mean she can treat you that way. She shouldn't hold taking you in over your head like that, as if it were a selfless act. She's your _aunt; _that should be an expectation _not _an exception."

Ken was silent for a moment. "M-maybe," he conceded. "Still, she's right that I shouldn't be letting my grades slip like I am. She _is _paying for everything after all…"

Eto was silent for a moment, furrowing her brow. She then looked up at Ken and smiled. "I could," she said suddenly, a light in her eyes.

"Could… what?" Ken asked.

"I could pay your tuition," Eto offered. "So, you don't have to deal with her anymore."

Ken's eyes widened. This was a once in a lifetime offer; a millionaire author offering to pay off Ken's tuition for him? So many students dreamed of something like this happening to them. Ken opened his mouth to except but stopped himself. "T-Thanks… But that wouldn't be right. I mean, you've _already_ done a lot for me… I couldn't let you do that."

Sen sighed and walked up to him, meeting her eyes to his. "I'm _going_ to." She answered him.

"But -," he started, but was stopped when she suddenly interrupted him.

"Honey, I'm loaded. Trust me, I won't miss it," she told him with a confident expression.

(Later That Evening)

Ken smiled to himself as he cleaned out the used cups that had piled up by the sink. The shop was closing soon so there were only a couple of customers left and they seemed as if they were about to head home. That, along with the fact that Ken's money troubles concerning his tuition had come to an end (which he still couldn't quite believe was happening), and subsequently, his dealings with his aunt, allowed Kaneki to let himself relax as the day came to an end. Touka hadn't been there to berate him either, so that was plus. Well, that wasn't true, she was still _there_, but she was busy upstairs and hadn't come down at all, other than to grab something to drink. He hadn't had the chance to show the manager his improvements in eating though, but that really wasn't a big deal. All in all, it was one of the better days Ken had had in the last few weeks.

The sound of the entrance chime ringing out alerted Ken to one of the remaining guests leaving. As they exited the dining room Kaneki thanked them from behind the bar and wished them a goodnight. He then went back to focusing on the coffee cups lined up by the sink. His concentration was broken, however, as the remaining to patrons in the cafe began to discuss recent events.

"The doves have come out to the 20th," one spoke lowly, but not so low that Ken couldn't hear it, prompting him to pause for a moment as he listened in on their conversation.

"Mm," the other hummed in acknowledgment. "Apparently Oumi was killed by one of them the other day… Not that I really liked the guy in any case."

The other shook his head slightly. "He never did have any self-control. Still though, if he was stupid enough to try and attack an investigator, then perhaps we're better off without him."

"Maybe he didn't realize it was an investigator?" the other offered.

"If he didn't realize that he was attacking an investigator, then he was blind as well as stupid. They aren't exactly hard to miss with those brief cases they carry. Not to mention how badly they stink of death."

"Fair point," the other replied. "Good riddance. He was a creep anyway."

"Still," the other spoke up, "Things are getting dangerous here in the twentieth. Not only because of the doves, either. I heard that Nishio kid got seriously screwed up a little while ago… By a _Ghoul_. I bet you that it was because of the new cannibalism trend going on… Sometimes I hate us as much as the humans do."

_So, the doves being in the 20__th__ ward are common knowledge at this point… It seems to Ghouls information is as important as eating – it's the difference between life and death. _Ken thought to himself as he continued washing the coffee cups. _Now that I think about, Ghouls don't only seem to come to Anteiku for food or to drink coffee. I've overheard a few Ghouls talking about things concerning the state of life in the 20__th__ ward… It seems Anteiku is also a place to share information._

"Ah, Ken," the managers voice sounded behind the half-ghoul, breaking him from his thoughts and shifting his attention to the older man.

Turning off the water and finishing drying up the last of the coffee cups, Ken turned to face the manager. "Yes, sir?"

"I just wanted to let you know that you did a good job today," the elder Ghoul commented, giving Ken a smile.

Ken smiled back, "Thank you, manager. You too."

"It also seems that Uta has begun forming your mask," Yoshimura added, reminding Ken of the trip to Shinjuku and his encounter with the odd mask-maker.

"Oh… I-is that so?" Ken replied, uncertainly.

"I also wanted to you to do something for me, now that the day is done… And since Touka is busy studying for her exams." The manager added.

"Okay," Ken agreed, "Do you need me to tidy up the shop or something like that?"

Yoshimura smiled a bit and shook his head. "No. I'd like you to go with my staff to gather food."

Ken felt a chill wash over him. _Food?! He can't mean… He must mean like coffee beans and regular food, right?_

"Normally," Yoshimura continued. "I have Touka do it, but I don't want to get in the way of her schooling."

"M-manager," Ken stuttered out. "I-I'm sorry, but I won't kill any-,"

"Oh no," the manager cut him off. "You won't be _killing _anyone. You won't be harming anyone."

Ken inwardly sighed in relief. _So… it is just normal food then. _"I understand. A-as long as I don't have to harm anyone…"

"I'm glad," the manager replied, nodding. "I appreciate it. I'll inform Renji, he'll meet you outback tonight."

(000)

Kaneki waited in the alleyway behind Anteiku. by then, everyone apart from Yoshimura and Touka had gone home for the night and even he had gone to sleep already. It made Ken smirk a little bit, the position he was in now – a ghoul waiting in a dark alley. _Of course, now that those investigators are prowling about, maybe I should be avoiding dark alleys, _Ken thought, looking off deeper into the alley, where the light coming from the streets couldn't reach. Ken had never really thought about it before. He had heard of Ghoul investigators, of course. Hide, had always been interested in them but, until now at least, Kaneki had never really considered how they affected Ghouls, apart from hunting them. _I guess there are Humans that even Ghouls fear… _

The sound of a car slowing to a crawl on the gravel returned Ken's attention to the street, where a sleek black car had stopped at the end of the alleyway. A moment later, the driver side door opened up, and out stepped a tall, broad-shouldered, ashen-haired man. Ken stepped further into view as the man made his way down the alley staring directly at him. _I hope he's not as scary as he looks…_

"H-hello, I'm Kaneki… Renji, I presume?" Kaneki greeted, intimidated by the newcomer. "I'm… Touka's replacement. Since she's busy studying for -,"

"I know," he interrupted, coldly, causing Ken to clamp his lips together. "Hurry up and get in."

Ken nodded and hurried to the passenger side of the car, trying not to make it seem like he was too intimidated. _He is a scary person..._

As the pair of them drove down the roads, neither of them spoke, which was awkward for Ken, but Renji didn't really seem to care one way or another. In fact, it seemed like he preferred the silence. That didn't ease up Ken's fears at all, it only served to increase his anxiety. _We're just going to get food, right? Why is he acting so stoic? Say something! _

After about 20 minutes, as they made their way along a corniche, Kaneki began to grow nervous. He wondered how far exactly they were going to travel to pick up the food they were supposed to get. He also began to wonder if the guy he was traveling with was really Renji. There was no reason he wouldn't be, as who else would know about the manager asking Ken to fill in for Touka? But, this didn't feel like an ordinary trip to Kaneki.

Ken was about to speak up when Renji pulled off to the side of the road near the edge of a drop, and parked the car, exiting a second later. Ken began to sweat. _Okay, what's going on? Why are we stopping here? Is this even the right gu? What if he's a stranger… He never did confirm whether or not he was Renji… _Then a terrifying thought crossed Shinji's mind. _What if he's an Investigator?_

Ken's eyes bulged and he felt a deep chill wash over him. _What? No, no, no, no. There's no way. How would he know to find me out back?... Unless Anteiku was under surveillance… Shit! What do I do!?_

"Hurry up," Ken heard the man call from outside of the car, causing him to jump.

_I… Could fight him. Like I did Nishio… But I don't even know if I can pull out those tentacles again… I don't even remember how to do it. _Ken then looked to the steering wheel and he thought of driving off, but any hopes of escape sunk when he realized that the man took the keys with him when he got out. Ken sighed. _I guess, I'm fighting…_

Reluctantly, Ken exited the car, keeping his eyes on the man who claimed to be Renji, hands balled into fists. 'Renji' kept his eyes on Ken for a moment, giving him a slightly annoyed look, before moving to the guard rail, and peering over.

As Ken looked about his surroundings, searching for a way to lose the man, if his hunch was correct, he spotted another car in the darkness, also parked by the guard rail. This allowed Ken to calm down a little. _So… Is that who we're going to buy from? This is more like a drug deal…_

"Over here," 'Renji' spoke up once again, prompting Ken to tentatively edge his way closer to the ashen-haired man.

As Kaneki got closer, he noticed that 'Renji' seemed to be looking at something over the edge. Curious, Ken moved closer to the guard rail, resting his hands on it, as he peered over, to see what had caught the man's eye. All Ken could see down there was a dense forest.

As he looked down, however, 'Renji' looked to him and said; "Hey, watch out, that parts not stable."

"Huh?" was all Ken got out, as the sound of creaking metal was heard and he was suddenly, falling down the cliff side.

Kaneki let out horrified scream as he plummeted down the side of the cliff. _Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! _was all he could think as he watched the ledge rapidly grow in height as he continued to fall. _Shit! Do something! _

Looking to the cliff face, Ken acted out of instinct and reached for it, hoping to get a grip. His attempt was in vain however, as no matter how hard he looked for something to stop his fall, he felt nothing but the feeling of rock racing past his palms. Ken then looked down to the rapidly approaching forest below and closed his eyes, placing his forearms over his face, hoping it would somehow protect him. _Oh shit! I'm dead! _Ken thought before hitting the ground with an audible thud.

_…I'm… alive? _Ken wondered, as he opened his eyes and pushed himself up from the ground. He then looked to his hands and began to pat down his body. _No. There's no way… How could I have survived that? _Of course, the answer was obvious, but Ken still couldn't believe it. Just how durable _were _Ghouls? Not only was he fine, he wasn't even hurt. Even so, despite the danger (or lack thereof) having passed, Ken could still feel his heart pounding away in his chest.

_Where am I anyway? _Ken thought as he looked about the dark forest. For a moment, he felt a chill run down his spine. Ken remembered getting lost once in a forest as a child, before his mother had passed. He remembered being terrified at the time and, despite wolves having been extinct in Japan for over one hundred years, he could have sworn he had seen one… Of course, it was probably just a dog out in the forest. Still, the thought came to him once again. _I'm probably the most dangerous thing in this forest tonight…_

The half-Ghoul stood up fully and surveyed the surroundings once again. This time however, he found something he had overlooked before – a dead body in a hideous state. More out of disgust than fear, Ken let out a loud scream, taking a step backward. The body looked mangled, with limbs bent in odd positions, it's neck broken, it's lips receding to reveal clenched teeth, with some missing, and a terrified look on it's face, as its dead eyes stared at Kaneki.

A moment later, Renji landed gracefully beside him, without a sound, as if he had floated down the whole way. "Is this your first time seeing a dead body?" Renji asked.

"N-no," Ken answered, truthfully, momentarily recalling running into that trio of Ghouls, soon after his surgery. "Just… Never like this."

"The other car parked above probably belonged to this man," The ashen-haired Ghoul spoke. "Many humans chose to take their own lives at this spot. The reason many don't know about it, is because of us."

Suddenly, it all began to click inside Ken's head. He finally understood what Yoshimura meant by saying he wouldn't be hurting anyone. For a moment, Ken felt betrayed. _He didn't exactly lie but… He must have known how I would feel about this… _

"S-so… The people at Anteiku… Eat people who commit suicide?" Ken asked, more so to himself. _I guess… that's the least harmful way a Ghoul can live, right? After all, these people have chosen to die, and by throwing themselves off a cliff no less, so it's not like they care what happens to their bodies. Still, I can't really say it's not hurting anyone… What about the families of the suicide victims? They'll never find the body, so they'll never know for sure…_

"Not all of us," Renji spoke. "There are times when I, or Touka, or even the others kill and eat people too. I'm only here because Mr. Yoshimura asked it of me."

Ken paused; the thought had never occurred to him before. He had never considered how his coworkers had sustained themselves. Renji hadn't named anyone besides Touka but… Did Enji kill people? Did Kaya? Did the manager? _But why would they… If they could get by just as well like this? _Ken shook his head. _Perhaps it's better if I don't think about it too much… After all, they aren't bad people. They must have their reasons…_

Ken's attention shifted from Renji's words to the duffel bag dropping in front of him. "Here. I'll take apart the body and you put what I hand to you into the bag."

_Huh? _Ken thought as Renji moved to the body. He watched as the ashen-haired man stood over the mangled body of the suicide victim and took the time to pray over it before Kneeling down and grabbing him. Renji removed a hand off of the wrist of the dead body and tossed it to Kaneki, who caught it out of instinct. Ken froze as he held the severed hand of the dead man, his hands shaking violently before he dropped it out of disgust. _I can't… I can't do it… I couldn't ever – there's no way…_

Renji gave Ken a blank look before sighing and picking up the bag and stuffing the hand into it. "Fine," he said, irritation creeping into his voice. "Stay back while I work."

Ken did so gratefully. There was a small modicum of relief he felt, knowing that he was still disgusted by gore. It made him feel like he was still human in some way. Still, there was also tinge of disappointment in himself… In the end, he was just dead weight.

(000)

Ryouko Kept silent as she moved through the night streets of the 20th ward. She knew that being out that late, for her, was a mistake. In fact, it was a horrible mistake – one that could very easily end up being the last one she'd ever make. However, she was on a mission. The young mother had waited until Hinami had fallen asleep in their hidden home and snuck out. Hopefully, if everything went right, she would be home before sunrise and Hinami would be none the wiser that she had ever left.

Ryouko felt her purse as she made her way through the near empty streets, making sure her precious cargo was still within – this was something she _had_ to do. Still, with every step she took her anxiety grew, she resisted the urge to peak behind herself every second as to not arouse suspicion, and her heart raced uncontrollably. If she was being tailed, which was a real possibility, she would have no way of knowing. halfheartedly, she began wishing she had taken Hinami with her – the girl had keen senses that most Ghouls would be jealous of. Ryouko smirked as she recalled all the times that she had tried to surprise her daughter by coming home from work early, and her surprise always being ruined by the girl's nose. The thought of her daughter, and of what her family had been, calmed her a bit and distracted her almost to the point that she'd missed the entrance to the park she was headed for. Luckily, however, she caught herself before she'd missed it and slipped inside, glancing about to make sure no one was tailing her.

As she entered the park, she found her way to a somewhat secret trail that led deeper within the surrounding forest and walked its path for a good ten minutes before she came to a stream. From there she followed it upstream for another few minutes before finding a tree that she had marked beforehand by peeling off some bark. She then continued north east until she came into a small clearing.

There, she had placed a large rock that Hinami had surrounded with smaller rocks that she thought were pretty. It was her husbands grave. Ryouko let out a shaky breath as she looked upon the sight; her feet suddenly felt heavy and her hands began to tremble. When her husband had been killed, she had taken what remained of him and buried him in the park, but it wasn't until now, weeks later, that the reality of the situation was truly setting in. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out Asaki's white half-mask, still stained with his dried blood.

The very sight of it caused her breath to hitch. Asaki's death had devastated her, but she kept the mask close to remember him by. It made her feel safe. She relied on it, as much as she had relied on him. He went out and hunted for her, getting his hands dirty, even though he detested killing. With his clinic he pulled in all the money necessary for them to live in relative comfort compared to many Ghouls. He'd even been the one who guided her through birthing Hinami, so they wouldn't have to risk going to a hospital and being found out. The mask made her feel like he was still with her. _That _was why she had to get rid of it.

She couldn't allow herself to live in the past where everything was provided for her and Hinami. Now _she _had to be the provider. She had to be strong for Hinami and as long as she kept clinging to Asaki's mask, using it to escape to a better time, she'd never be as strong as she needed to be. _I'm sorry… But I'm returning this…_

After she had buried the mask, she found her way back to the road, through the forest as to throw off any would-be pursuers. From there, she began to make her way back to their hideout. Strangely enough, she felt… conviction. She felt as if she had just taken the first step in a long but rewarding journey. She was so caught up this feeling that she failed to notice the sound of the car pulling up next to her.

Ryouko felt her heart catch in her throat as the door suddenly opened and a large man in a jacket stepped out. Instinctively, Ryouko wanted to run, but she couldn't risk them being led to Hinami, or her identity being revealed. Her eyes turned a blood red and she prepared to take her first human life. That was until she recognized the man who stepped out. Her eyes reverted to normal and she greeted him. "Oh, R-Renji… I thought-,"

"We've asked you not to walk around on your own because it's dangerous, right?" he told more than asked her.

She wanted to explain to him her business being out so late and alone, but she had a feeling it would only annoy him more, so she held her tongue.

"I'll take you home," Renji offered with a demanding tone. "Please, get in the car."

Truth be told, Ryouko was a little upset with how Renji was treating her, even if he was in the right and being as polite as possible. She understood though; she was being reprimanded. Still, she wasn't going to turn down a car ride home. Her feet ached from walking for so long and she was starting to grow tired. "Right…" she agreed and began to follow him back to the car.

When she got there, she was surprised to see someone already in the passenger seat. She didn't recognize him at first, but eventually it came to her. "Ah, you're Kaneki, right?"

The boy seemed to have been nodding off himself as he looked to her with something akin to fear at first. "Ah… Mrs. Fueguchi… I didn't expect you here…" he replied, seemingly struggling to remember her name, which amused her.

"Likewise," she replied as she moved to the back seat. "It's an eventful night tonight I guess," she added, speaking to Renji. "Did something happen that Kaneki had to cover for Touka?"

"Exams," Renji replied as he closed the driver side door and took off down the road.

As they drove, a feeling of guilt began to grow inside of Ryouko. Her leaving by herself so late at night and putting Hinami and the others in danger by doing so was very selfish of her. "You're angry at me… aren't you?" she asked, keeping her gaze to the floor of the cab.

Renji didn't reply.

"I'm sorry… But, I had to visit my husbands grave one last time. It was important."

Renji was silent for a moment before replying; "The problem isn't that you are moving around. We understand that you can't remain hidden the whole time. The problem is you're moving around by yourself. If you had asked, I, or one of the others, could have escorted you." Yomo paused and added, "Miss Fueguchi, the ones who enticed the doves to come here wasn't Rize… They're looking for you."

Ryouku fell silent at that. Of course, she knew that already and it only made her feel guilty. She wished that Renji wouldn't have said that in front of the new worker, or anyone else for that matter. "I know," she replied. "That's why, tonight, I buried my husband's mask."

Kaneki and Renji glanced back at her when she said that, an emotion other than stoicism showing on the ashen-haired Ghoul's face for only a moment. She smiled slightly and looked forward to the two of them. "I can't protect Hinami, if I act like a child myself."

(The following day/CCG 20th ward office)

"Numbers seven-twenty and seven-twenty-two haven't been making any suspicious moves," Koutarou reported the previous days observations to his squad. The squad he and Kureo had been assigned to consisted of (obviously) himself, Mado, and two other investigators native to the branch – Ippei Kusaba, the head investigator of the 20th ward and Yasutomo Nakajima. Ever since their partnership had begun, however, he'd noticed just how lazy they were. Of course, Mr. Mado had told him that he shouldn't hold it against them as the 20th ward was a rather docile ward with hardly any incidents. And that the pair had likely never been on a proper investigation in their lives. Shuffling his papers, Koutarou continued; "Number seven-twenty-one had a croissant and a cinnamon pound cake from _Pastry Kings_ for lunch," he paused. "But a hot coffee to drink."

"There was no change in the facial expression or the use of the lavatory either?" Kureo asked, bridging his fingers.

"No, sir," Koutarou replied, lowering his report.

"I see… The coffee order still worries me though, let's not call off the investigation just yet."

Amon nodded and shifted his attention to Kusaba. "What of your investigation on seven-twenty-three, 20th ward head?"

"Ah… Yes," the investigator replied, shuffling through his reports. "I caught sight of Seven-twenty-three last night in fact. I followed her downtown until we ended up at site B. From there she moved through the forest and I lost sight of her for a moment until I picked up the trail again later and found her in front of what appeared to be a shrine of sorts at site C."

"Quite a trek," Mado commented.

"Yes," Kusaba acknowledged, "From there, I followed her out of the forest until she met an acquaintance that she left with in a car." The 20th ward head set his report down and looked about the table.

Koutarou continued to stare at him expectantly, causing the man to grow increasingly uncomfortable under his gaze. Finally, done waiting, Koutarou asked; "The license plate number?"

The man blinked in surprise. "Ah, forgive me, there wasn't much light and I hadn't had time to take it down."

"Well, that can't be helped… But the shrine you described, must have been a grave, right?" Koutarou began to elaborate. "If it turns out that grave belongs to number six-nine-six, then we can safely confirm that seven-twenty-three is a Ghoul as well… Did you at least examine the grave?"

"W-what? You expect me to dig up a grave? No way, that's immoral! I could never do something so… awful."

_Unbelievable… _Koutarou thought. _This is the __**head **__of the twentieth ward? _"Morality? That's your excuse? Do you mean the same morality the Ghouls have when they kill humans? Do you think a Ghoul would think twice about digging up a fresh grave so it could have a meal?"

"I-,"

"No," Kotarou answered for him. "When it comes to Ghouls, we cannot allow ourselves to be burdened by Morals. They're beasts, nothing more. That's how they win, by preying on human morality." Kotarou lectured as The 20th head had nothing to say and hung his head.

Kureo smiled to himself lightly. "Well then, our meeting has come to a close. Continue your investigations everyone and we'll reconvene at the end of the week."

After the two 20th ward investigators left, Kotarou let all of his irritations be known. "I know you told me not to hold it against them, Mr. Mado, but the carelessness of the 20th ward branch infuriates me. They lack the motivation for this job! It's because of investigators like them that Ghouls are still around!"

Mado chuckled a bit at his pupil. "Well, don't let it piss you off too much, Koutarou. That's why we've come in any case – to show these men how to be _proper _investigators."

Amon clenched his fist and furrowed his brow; his mentor's words didn't calm him down any. He then looked over to Mado in surprise as he the older investigator placed a hand on his shoulder. "Mr. Mado?" Koutarou asked.

"There's a fire in you boy, you know that? A fire that will reignite the furnace of this organization. For a long time, I've been feeling as you do now… But, I'll admit, your sense of duty and determination has breathed some life into my own flame."

Koutarou looked down at Mado in surprise. He felt a sudden swell of pride at the older man's words. "Thank you… Mr. Mado."

The older investigator patted Amon's shoulder once and moved towards the exit. "Today, however, I'm to tired to continue any further. You walk to fast for me, Amon. I'm not as young as I used to be. Good work, as always."

"You too… Sir," Amon replied as he watched the older investigator disappear through the meeting room door.

Soon after, Amon left as well and made his way to the exit to perhaps get some rest himself. He had been going non-stop since arriving in the 20th. He didn't like putting off the investigation, but at this point, he felt he earned it. Then, A young boy walking down the hallways, being guided by a woman caught his eye. It was one of the orphaned children that the CCG took in. The jaded and sad look in his eye reignited the fire that Mado had complimented him on and Koutaoru furrowed his brow. _As if I need rest right now!_

(000)

"Kaneki, you're starting to look a lot better," Hide commented, catching Ken off guard as he took a sip of the coffee, he bought from the campus convenient store.

"H-how so?" Kaneki asked, removing the coffee from his lips.

"Well, you're not nearly as pale as you were last time I saw you. You were about as white as a sheet. Not too mention you've put on weight. In a healthy way, I mean!" Hide caught himself at the end.

Ken smiled, but inwardly, he felt a little embarrassed. _Was I really looking that bad?_ Ken had finally decided, at least for the time, to fully commit to going back to school, now that Eto was paying his way through… That still made him feel guilty though. He had let her know that it would be alright if she changed her mind, after all, she'd already done too much… Just like before, though, she refused to, saying that she had more than enough and that if it got him out of the clutches of his aunt, then it would be worth it. _Why does she care about me so much? _Ken wondered. It was a question that had popped into his mind more than once since his tuition trouble had been lifted from his shoulders. Kaneki just couldn't understand why she, or anyone, would do so much… for _him_. _Does she want something from me? _Ken frowned at the thought, _it wouldn't be the first time…_

"How work going, by the way?" Hide asked, taking a bite from his sandwich, as he focused on Kaneki. Ken tried hard to hide his disgust which almost made him laugh. It wouldn't be too long ago, that he would have been eating side by side with Hide.

"Well… I'm starting to grow accustomed…" But the mention of work, caused Kaneki to recall the previous night, when he watched as that Renji guy dismantled a body. It was odd, he had been relieved that he had been excused from that duty, but afterwards, he began to feel guilty. He didn't want to kill anyone or have anything to do with dead bodies but, he also wanted to help… And he owed Anteiku his life and then some. Ken then began to recall Mrs. Fueguchi's words on the car ride home the night prior; about how she needed to stop acting like a child. _Maybe it's time… I do the same… _

Hide then smirked and leaned forward, a blush on his face. "Hey! Has Touka been asking about me? Huh?"

Ken frowned and took another sip of his coffee. "Afraid not."

Hide looked like he was about to ask something else when a woman appeared at their table, roughly their age. The first thing Ken noticed about her was how pretty she was. She was wearing fashionable clothes and had her deep brown hair cut at shoulder length. The second thing he noticed is that there was a familiar smell emanating from her.

"Um… You're Nagachika, right? Nagachika Hideyoshi?" she asked

"Uh, yeah," Hide replied before pausing and looking her over, "You're uh… Nishiki's girlfriend, right?" Hide asked, allowing Ken to quickly put the pieces together.

The girl didn't reply. Instead, she reached into her jacket and pulled out a disc in a clear case and handed it to Hide. Grabbing the disc from her Hide asked her what it was, but answered his own question as he turned it over and read what was written on the front of the case. "Ah! It's the materials for the festival! Thanks!"

Nishio's girlfriend then spun on her heel and began to leave in a hurried pace before Hide called out to her again. "Hey! Do… Do you know where Nishiki's been? If he feels guilty about what happened, we aren't upset that he took off during the incident, I would have been scared too!"

The girl paused and looked back to the pair for a moment. Ken noticed when she did so that she looked at Hide for a second but allowed her gaze to linger much longer on him before leaving at an even quicker pace.

"Ah… she's gone. Did I say something wrong?"

Ken hadn't even heard Hide, instead he was busy thinking about what this all meant. _Did Nishio really send his girlfriend just to give Hide the materials? Or did he send her to gather information on us? Did he want to know what kind of condition we were in before making his move? _Then, another thought occurred to Ken. _She's a Ghoul as well, she must be. Nishio was pretty vocal about his hatred for humanity… If I weren't here… Or if Hide was alone… would she have killed him? _Ken balled his fists subconsciously at the thought. If he hadn't met Hide here today, his best friend could be dead, and he wouldn't have known until much later.

"Hey, Kaneki!"

Ken jolted from his thoughts. "Y-yeah? Sorry, what is it?"

"Why're you making that angry face?"

Ken's cheeks reddened, embarrassed a bit. "I-I was making a face?"

At that the school bell sounded and Hide stood up. "Well, anyways, I gotta get to class. See ya'."

Ken nodded and began to stand up himself before he decided to make sure of something. "Oh, wait, Hide!"

Hide stopped and looked at Kaneki with a bit of confusion on his face. "Y-yeah?"

"Are you… busy tonight?" Ken asked, feeling sweat form on his forehead. _Please say yes._

Hide nodded and gave an apologetic smile. "Yeah, sorry man! But now that we've finally got the materials, me and the planning committee have to get started. We'll have to work double time since Nishio's still M.I.A…"

Inwardly, Kaneki let out a sigh of relief. "Oh well…" Ken replied, trying to sound disappointed. "Maybe another time," he offered and the two began to head off in separate directions. _At least I know that Hide won't be easy to get alone for a while._ _Still… I need to know if Nishiki's planning something… Or even if he's still alive. His girlfriend came today but, that doesn't mean he survived. She could be acting of her own accord… _

(That evening/Site C of the 20th ward)

Koutarou huffed as he dug through the area next to the rock shrine that Kusaba had described, his jacket in a heap next to him and his sleeves rolled up. He had to dig deeper than he expected, which surprised him because Seven-Twenty-Three was rather thin and Kusaba didn't mention a shovel in his report. _Still, if she is a Ghoul, she could have easily dug up the ground with her Kagune if she'd wanted… _

Koutarou then shoved the blade of the shovel into the dirt once more but stopped when he heard a loud _chink _followed by a cracking noise. Eye's widening with excitement, he tossed the shovel to the side and began to dig through the dirt with his hands until he found a porcelain-white mask, with a crack over the eye hole, where his shovel had hit it. _Confirmation! Seven-Twenty-Three is a Ghoul!_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

(CCG 20th ward Branch)

It was still dark out as Koutarou walked with purpose through the halls of the 20th ward main office. The night prior, he had called an emergency meeting scheduled for the morning and had left it at that. His stride and the look on his face prompted people to quickly step aside, allowing him room. Exiting the hallway, Amon entered the meeting room they had occupied the day prior. Fortunately, everyone else was already there. Mado was notorious for arriving earlier than necessary to meetings, but Amon was almost surprised to see the other two there before him. _At least, they're punctual, _he thought to himself.

Without a word, Amon tossed the clear bag that contained the mask of six-nine-six on the meeting room table, causing the head of the 20th to jump in response and his assistant to wheel his chair back. Mado didn't react, but Koutarou could tell that he held a smile beneath his bridged fingers.

"You… actually went and dug it up," Kusaba said, transfixed on the mask.

Mado let out a satisfied humph and stood, placing his hands on the table. "Koutarou, you truly are a dedicated investigator… It's been a while since I've met someone who so tirelessly hunts the beasts down like you do," he paused. "It fills me with pride. But, I suppose little else should be expected of a man who graduated at the top of his class."

Koutarou was silent for a moment. He knew that Mado meant well by praising him, but he really wished that he wouldn't. Compliments never came easy to Amon. "I merely did what would be expected of me," Koutarou replied, eyes shifting to the 20th ward head and his subordinate. "My duty as an investigator."

Their looks of shame were not lost on Koutarou as he shifted his gaze back to Kureo. "At any rate, this is confirmation. We can finally make our move and put the mother – daughter case to a close."

A manic smile appeared on Mado's face at Amon's declaration. The man set his quinque case on the table and began to tap his fingers on it with excitement. "We have our tools and all the actors are in place; all that's left to do is pick a stage." The older investigator began to chuckle to himself as his grin grew and he began to caress the attaché case, "I can't wait to reunite Seven-Twenty-Three with her beloved."

By the looks on their faces, Koutarou could tell that the other two men in the room seemed to be unnerved by this. And, truth be told, there were times when Amon too, called into question the mind of his superior – times when the man seemed to have more than just a _fascination_ with Ghouls. However, where others saw a sick man, or a frightening man, Koutarou saw his mentor, and a fine example of an investigator… for the most part.

Amon smiled slightly at Mado and adjusted his tie. "Let's get to it."

(000)

The sun was just barely breaking the horizon when Ken arrived at the shop, or it would have been, had the rain clouds not blotted it out that day. It wasn't raining at that moment, but the clouds had been heavy with water all day and the forecast said it could come down at any time. Slipping off his raincoat, Ken looked around the shop only to see there was no one in it; In fact, he had been the first one there, arriving an hour earlier than his shift was too start as the manager had called him only thirty minutes ago, requesting him to come in.

"M-Manager?" he called out, waiting for a response. Admittedly Ken had been dreading his arrival the whole time since he had been called. He could only imagine that the man had wanted him in so early because Renji had told him how he had choked the night before and shifted all the work onto the ashen-haired Ghoul. The thought caused Ken to feel a bit of resentment. _The manager was too vague about what it was… I had no idea that-_

Ken's thoughts were cut off as he heard a creaking noise above him. _He must be upstairs. _Kaneki made his way to the top floor and found his way into the lounge, knocking once before entering. As expected, the Manager was there, but he was also greeted by, much to his surprise Uta, Mrs. Fueguchi, and her daughter. "O-oh," he stuttered, entering the room fully, "H-hello, Mrs. Fueguchi… Uta."

"Hello, Kaneki," Ryukou replied politely. Her daughter didn't say a word, however, instead, she gave him a somewhat curious look that made him uncomfortable. Uta, however, greeted Kaneki with a look that could haven been described as excitement.

"Ah, Kaneki," Yoshimura greeted. "Uta here wanted me to call you in, he -,"

"I finished your mask for you," Uta interrupted, bringing up a piece of leather with his right hand.

Ken looked from Uta to the mask. At first, Ken couldn't quite tell what it was, but it soon became clearer as he took it from Uta. It was made of black leather so dark that it reflected the ceiling lights and had a thick rectangular piece at what seemed to be the top of the mask, accompanied by a strap that looked like it was supposed to wrap around his head. There were also two, metal prongs sticking out from the neck area, that perplexed Kaneki. What caught his eye most though was the thin red strip that ran across the center horizontally adorned by plastic teeth, where his mouth would assumedly go.

"What do you think?" The tall Ghoul asked, voice betraying a sense of excitement.

Ken paused. "It's interesting," not wanting to be rude, Kaneki quickly revised his statement. "It's very cool," he said, looking to Uta with a smile. _Though, I don't really have a basis for what a good Ghoul mask looks like… and I don't think I'd be very partial either way… _"I'm surprised you finished it so early."

Uta nodded. "So am I, really. I thought it wouldn't be done for another few days but, the other night I had a sudden rush of inspiration and finished it early." He then paused and asked; "Would you try it on for me?"

Ken could tell that the mask-maker, while very odd, was passionate about his craft. _It seems Ghouls care about more than where they're getting their next meal… Some at least._

Nodding, Ken slipped it on and adjusted it, so it fit comfortably. Somehow, the feeling of leather on his skin, accompanied by the snugness of the mask relaxed Ken a bit. _This is… a Ghoul mask? I'll have to show Eto when I get back… She'll definitely want to see it. I bet she would be better able to appreciate it as well._

Uta grinned. "It's perfect. Well, now that I have that delivered, I'm going to head back to Shinjuku. Goodbye, Yoshimura, Kaneki," he said, leaving, prompting Ken to take his mask off.

Yoshimura nodded Uta a goodbye before returning his attention to Mrs. Fueguchi and her daughter. "Anyways, as I was saying before, we would be glad to watch Hinami for you while you're at work… I understand the paranoia of having to leave your child alone for so long… Especially a Ghoul child."

Mrs. Fueguchi bowed deeply at that. "Thank you, Mr. Yoshimura. I promise that it won't be for long. I just need to get back on my feet with this new job and I'll be able to find a place for Hinami to stay safely."

"Please," Yoshimura waved her off. "It's really no trouble."

Mrs. Fueguchi bowed again and turned to her daughter. "Hinami," she said, kneeling down and looking her in the eye. "You be a good girl for everyone, okay? I don't want to hear that you were causing trouble."

Hinami seemed to blush at her mother talking to her like that in front of Yoshimura and Kaneki and looked to the window so no one could see her face. "Yes, mother," she replied, lowly.

Satisfied, Ryuko gave Hinami a hug and finally made her way to the lounge door, giving Kaneki a quick smile before leaving.

Yoshimura stood up to take his leave as well Kaneki followed him out into the hallway before stopping him. "Manager? What did you need me to come in so early for?"

Yoshimura seemed to pause before answering. "Oh, that _was_ the reason. You see, Uta arrived and wanted to give you your mask, only you weren't here." He paused and smiled. "I told him that he could have left it and we'd give it to you when you arrived, but he'd wanted to give it to you himself. I figured that, since he went through the trouble of making it, the least I could do was try to get you down here. I'm sorry if it inconvenienced you."

"T-that's the reason? You mean, Renji didn't tell you about last night?" Ken asked, wishing that he hadn't the moment the words left his mouth. _If Renji didn't tell him, then why would you bring it up?! Idiot!_

"He did," Yoshimura replied. "You acted as I expected."

"W-what?" Ken asked, confused.

"I didn't expect you to be able to dismember a human body so easily, Ken," Yoshimura began to explain. "The point of sending you out there wasn't just to collect food supplied – it was a test if you will."

"A test? And how? I-I couldn't do anything… I was just a burden."

"Yes," Yoshimura conceded. "But you came back. I wanted to see how you would fair, being exposed to the darker workings of our establishment. You could have decided to no longer be a part of us. By showing up, today, however, you've proven that you are willing to look past our darkest secrets." The manager made his way past Ken with a smile on his face before stopping one last time and looking back towards the young half-ghoul. "Oh and, since you're already here, could you prep the dining floor?"

Ken nodded without facing the manager. "R-right."

As Kaneki began to make his way towards the staircase, Yoshimura stopped once again and turned to Ken. "I'm proud of you, Ken," he said with a smile, causing Ken to stop in his tracks, before disappearing into the room at the far end of the hall.

Ken was silent and still for a few moments before he finally found his feet once again. _The dining room, _he reminded himself as he once again started walking. Making his way down the steps, Ken allowed himself a small smile as a strange feeling developed within his chest… It was almost pride, but not quite. Kaneki couldn't quit name it.

(Later)

Ken stared out the window through the corner of his eye, watching as the first drops of rain began their descent, dotting the glass with still water droplets. _Looks like the forecast was correct today, _Ken thought. _If it keeps up, pretty soon it'll be pouring outside. _The thought didn't exactly bother Kaneki, though. Truth be told; he really enjoyed the rain – apart from when he was caught in it, however.

For him, there was something about being inside, protected by thick walls, while he could hear the low boom of thunder and the sounds of rain slapping the pavement. He found it very relaxing.

He thought of reading a book when he got home later. It would be nice to read with the backdrop of a thunderstorm. The thought of reading, however, prompted Ken to realize something; _I haven't read since… I don't remember… It has to have been weeks… maybe months? I haven't really thought about it._ Ken smiled to himself, a little embarrassed. _I'm hosting an author at my house, and she hasn't seen me read a single book, has she?_

Thinking of his guest however, caused him to recall a conversation from the night prior. After he'd gotten home that night, he'd found Eto in his living room, still up surprisingly. Immediately, she'd asked him how his night had been. He hadn't thought too much of it at the time, mostly because he was tired, but looking back on it now, he realized that she had sounded concerned.

_Did she know? _Ken asked himself. Thinking about it, it made sense. Eto was the managers daughter after all, she probably would be privy to whatever he was planning. Ken frowned and furrowed his brow in confusion. _why didn't she tell me? _

Ken felt odd suddenly. In the end, everything turned out fine, he still had his place at Anteiku, but the fact that she'd known what he was going to have to do later that night and hadn't told him made him feel... _She must have known that I… _Ken suddenly shook his head, _That's not fair of me, _he told himself. _So what if she didn't tell me? It all worked out in the end, didn't it? Who cares? _He paused. _I can't keep relying on her forever…_

"Yo, Kaneki," came the voice of Koma from behind Ken, prompting him to swivel around to face his senior.

"Y-yes, sir?"

"We're out of Coffee," the pompadoured Ghoul explained. "You mind getting some from the storage upstairs? We need the bags with the red labels on them."

Ken smiled and nodded, "Of course, no problem." With that, he made his way upstairs to the second floor, and headed down the hall.

_Red label, _Ken kept repeating, _Red labeled bags. _As he made his way down the corridor, however, a sound suddenly caught his attention. It was wet, crunchy, and was accompanied by a serious of _tings_. Kaneki stopped and looked around before tracking the sound to the break room. Curiosity peaked, the half-ghoul moved to the lounge entrance and opened the door. What he saw beyond it made his breath hitch.

It was the cute little girl, miss Fueguchi's daughter, Hinami. He'd forgotten entirely that she was at the shop. Only, that cute little girl's eyes were black, and her mouth was currently caked with blood and on the plate that below her was a lump of meat with an assortment of fingers.

Ken resisted the urge to gag, but couldn't help but display the fear and disgust as he began to apologize. "S-sorry! I'm sorry! Please, take your time, don't mind me!" he told her and closed the door, backing up until his back touched the wall. Quickly, he placed his palm over his mouth and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath through his fingers. _I don't think… I'll ever get used to that sight… _he thought to himself.

Taking another breath, he pushed himself off the wall and hurried to the storage closet. "Red label…" he told himself, "Red label…"

He quickly found the bags, gripped two in each hand, and made his way back out into the corridor, keeping his head down and away as he passed the lounge, and finally to the dining floor where he brought the bags to Koma, who was resting against the counter.

"Oh, there you are," he greeted Kaneki. "I was wondering if you were having trouble finding them. I was about to send a search party." He joked in a friendly manner.

Ken forced a smile at him before setting the bags on the counter. "S-sorry," he apologized.

Koma raised a brow at Kaneki. "Something wrong, Ken?" he asked, "You look kinda spooked."

Ken kept his gaze to the customers. "It's nothing," he replied quickly.

Koma rubbed his chin, looking Ken over before making a deduction. "Ah, did you walk in on Touka getting changed by accident?"

"What!?" Ken asked in a hushed tone, embarrassed. "N-no!"

"Ah, then you must have walked in on Hinami eating that plate I brought up to her a little while ago," Koma landed on nodding his head.

Ken frowned, "So you knew she was up there, eating."

Koma shook his head. "That's no-good, Ken; girls don't like to be seen doing that. That's pretty much the same as having actually walked in on Touka changing. But, since it's not Touka, you should go apologize."

Ken blinked. "Is that… really something I have to apologize for?" He'd never really heard that about women before… Of course, his experience was limited.

Koma closed his eyes and shook his head before patting Kaneki on the shoulder. "Oh, Ken, my boy. There are many things I'm going to have to teach you about women, it seems."

"What does that mean...?" Ken muttered lowly so that Koma couldn't hear him.

"Here," Koma said, pushing forward a small cup of coffee. "This was for table 1, but I'll make him a new cup. Take this one to Hinami, as an apology."

Ken picked up the cup. "A-alright."

(000)

Touka let out an angry sigh as she drug her hands down her face, pulling on her skin slightly. She just didn't get it. "What the fuck are they even saying!?" she asked in hushed rage as she looked back down at her classic literature textbook. She could hardly read the damn thing, but what parts she _could _read felt like they were being spoken in riddles. Sighing, she placed her pencil on the page to mark her place and closed it. "I need to take a break…"

Standing up, Touka stretched her back and groaned in relief as her muscles shifted in what felt like the first time in ages. _How long have I been hunched over this desk anyways? _She wondered. She finished her stretches by rolling her head from shoulder to shoulder, feeling small pops as she did so.

_I need something to fill me up… _she thought as she moved to her closet to find her hidden mini fridge, squatted down and opened it to reveal shelves of meat. _Let's see… what to eat… _Touka pondered as she looked over the assortment of hearts, lungs, fingers, and other organs to pick from. The she-Ghoul frowned at the thought; _That sounded like something a certain eccentric creep would think. _

Shaking her head, she grabbed a heart and reached for a bottle of iced coffee when she heard the sounds of panicked apology. Sighing once more, she placed the heart back and shut the fridge. _What's that moron up to now? _She wondered as she made her way out to the hall.

Opening her door, she poked her head out to see that Kaneki guy close the door to the lounge and back up against the wall and remain there for a second. _That's where Hinami's staying… What's he doing in there?_

She continued to watch as he disappeared into the storage closet and then reappeared with four bags and once again disappeared into the stairwell. Touka waited until he'd done so to leave her room and go check up on Hinami.

She entered the break room to find Hinami there, staring at her plate of unfinished food. "Hina?" She asked, gaining the younger girl's attention.

"Hello, Touka," Hinami greeted, monotonal.

"Is everything alright?" The raven-haired girl asked, moving closer and sitting next to the young brunette. "That guy, he didn't… do anything weird to you… did he?" _He doesn't really seem the type, _Touka thought, recalling a recent night where an older fat guy was trying to feel her up – those were the usual suspects, she found. _Still, they come in all shapes and sizes._

Hinami looked at her, confused. "Weird?" she asked.

Touka shifted uncomfortably and pressed her lips into a thin line. "Y'know," she said.

Hinami blinked then blushed a little before looking away. "N-no!" she refuted, "Nothing like that!"

Touka nodded, feeling a bit of relief flow over her. "Then what's the matter?" she asked.

"He saw me eating," Hinami replied in a hushed tone.

Touka smirked at her, "That's it? Don't worry, he won't tell anyone."

"But he's a human!" Hinami argued before adding, "I think…"

Touka scratched the back of her head at that. "His name's Kaneki and… well… With him, I don't think it's quite that simple," she replied.

"So, he's one of us? But he doesn't… smell like it," Hinami said, confused. "I can't really tell what he smells like."

Touka was about to reply when the were three knocks on the lounge door, followed by it creaking open. A second later, the topic of conversation made his way into the room, holding a small cup of coffee. "Hinami?" he asked, stepping in, "I wanted to apologize for earlier, so I –." He paused when he saw Touka. "O-oh, Touka. H-hello…" he stammered out, suddenly appearing very nervous. "I, uh, brought this coffee… here for Hinami. I'll just leave it…"

Annoyed, Touka was about to tell him to hurry up and get going already when Hinami suddenly blurted out, "Um, excuse me. Which are you?"  
Touka couldn't believe the girls lack of tact, it almost made her burst out laughing. "Hinami, you don't -," she began when the look on Hinami's face signaled that she realized her social blunder.

"N-Never mind," she said, "I'm sorry. It's just… I've never smelt a scent like yours before… If you were like us, then I would have been able to tell before you even entered but…"

Touka, remained silent and looked to Kaneki, waiting for a response.

"Well," he started, "I used to be a regular human but," he paused and pressed his lips into a thin line as he furrowed his brow. "Things… happened and now I have Ghoul parts inside of me. I can't really eat like I used to anymore… I've been told what I am is a 'half-ghoul', but I really feel like I'm closer to a regular Ghoul…"

"How… is it?" Touka asked, interest peaked. "I mean, being a Ghoul now."

Kaneki seemed to be surprised that she even spoke to him at all, as he paused for a moment before scratching his cheek. "W-Well, I wish I could go back to being human again, honestly… But at this point I guess it is what it is… You know?"

Touka furrowed her brow. Something about him saying that stung. She supposed that it shouldn't though, after all; how many times had she, who had been a Ghoul her whole life, wished that she could have been born a human. For that Kaneki guy, it must have been much worse.

"I'm sorry," Hinami apologized once more. "I didn't mean to make you talk about it, if you didn't want to."

"It's okay," Kaneki reassured her. "Sometimes its good to talk about it… I guess."

A silence then befell the trio and it seemed that Kaneki was about to take his leave once again, when he suddenly stopped. "Ah, _Monochrome of Rainbows_! Did Sen give this to you?" he asked Hinami, picking it up off the table.

"S-Sen? W-who?" Hinami asked.

"Eto," Touka answered for her.

"O-Oh," Hinami replied, blushing with embarrassment. "Yes, auntie gave it to me for my twelfth birthday."

Ken smiled at her. "I'm surprised someone your age is reading it," Kaneki commented. "Her stuff is hard to read even for advanced readers. Though, _Monochrome_ is a collection of short stories, so I guess it's a bit easier."

Touka was suddenly surprised at how much more talkative the guy was suddenly being. Just a moment ago, he was stuttering with every other word, like a kid learning how to talk for the first time. _He's like an open book now…_

"Well, it's still hard," Hinami said, averting her gaze. "Auntie gave it to me so I could learn to read better, but I still have trouble…"

"I see," Kaneki said. "Still, do you have a favorite story? I liked _Summer Diary_."

"I like um…" Hinami paused trying to remember the name. "_Rain at Night_."

"_Rain at Night_?" Kaneki asked, confused for a moment, "Oh, you mean _Summer Showers_! You like the scary ones, huh? That was the prototype for _The Black Goats Egg_, I really like it too."

"That's a scary story?" Touka asked, "But the name makes it sound relaxing…" Touka said, feeling a little guilty suddenly. _Now that I think about it… __Have I ever even read one of Eto's stories? _

Ken nodded at her, "Yeah, I think that was Eto's intent. It makes it so the horror aspect catches the reader off-guard and is much more impactful."

"_Summer… Showers_? I-I thought it was _Rain at Night_…" Hinami said, frowning.

"No," Kaneki replied, setting the book down in front of her and flipping to the title page of that story. "I could see how you would think that, though. the Kanji for Night and Summer look a little similar."

"Oh," Hinami said and pointed to the Kanji at the top of the page. "So, that's 'Summer'?"

Ken nodded. "Right."

Touka watched, smiling as Hinami reached into her knapsack beside the couch and pulled out a yellow composition book and opened it up. "C-can you right down the 'night' Kanji for me? I'll write down the 'summer' one next to it, so I can tell them apart later."

"Sure," Kaneki agreed and wrote it down for her.

Hinami then took the book and placed it next to her notebook and crudely copied the Kanji for night. Well, it was crude compared to Kaneki's handwriting.

"Do you like learning?" Kaneki asked, "You have a lot written down in this notebook. I'm sure you do well in school."

At that Hinami blushed in embarrassment. "Um… I – I don't,"

"Hinami doesn't go to school," Touka answered for her.

Ken blinked, looking surprised. Certainly, for him – a human – the thought of a child not going to school would be strange. For Ghouls however, it was fairly common. There weren't many educated Ghouls – at least not educated by the country.

"Since I don't go," Hinami said, "My mother has me write things down I want to remember."

"Oh, I see," Kaneki nodded. "Well, if you ever want help with things like this, you can ask me! I don't mind helping you."

Hinami smiled at the former human before turning a few pages deeper into the book until she found a Kanji she didn't understand. "Um… What's this one then?"

Ken got next to her and looked at the kanji from her angle. "Oh, that's 'Shuuu'," he said.

"S-shuuu?" Hinami asked.

"Right. It's used to describe rain that suddenly pours down."

Hinami nodded and jotted down the lesson into her notebook before looking to Kaneki and saying. "Um, Touka isn't very good at reading either. Maybe you could help her study too?"

At that Touka grew red with embarrassment and a bit of anger. "T-that's not true!" she said. "I don't need his help!"

"I, uh, don't mind, miss Kirishima," Kaneki offered, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "If you need help, you can always ask me."

Touka wanted to yell at him again, but she didn't quite know why. He was only being nice after all… _I mean, if he's offering… _Touka considered for a moment. Despite her consideration, and almost against her own will, Touka declined. "That's okay," she said, standing. "I study better alone anyways… I don't do well with tutors. A-and don't call me Miss Kirishima! It's weird!"

Touka frowned to herself as she seemed to see a look of disappointment flash on the boy's facial features for a moment, but it was gone as soon as it had appeared, replaced with a look of surprise at her sudden reprimand.

"Well," Kaneki said, standing as well, "If you decide you do need help, don't hesitate to ask."

(000)

Ryukou trudged her feet as she walked the final stretch to Anteiku. Her new job at the warehouse had been… exhausting. She hadn't realized it until that point, but she was a pretty pathetic specimen as far as Ghouls go. Heavy lifting should have been easy for her, and at first it was, but it didn't take more than an hour for her to start to fatigue. The other workers, who were most likely human, ran circles around her; and though no one said anything to her, the glances and whispering she saw was enough. She'd thought about quitting after that, but she didn't entertain the idea for long - she was on her own now and had Hinami to take care of; her safety net was gone. _I'll just have to adapt, _she told herself as she entered the coffee shop and made her way up the first flight of stairs.

Entering the shop, the sound of the bell chiming overhead alerted some customers to her presence. There were a few Ghoul faces in the crowd and while some, those she knew in passing, gave her a sympathetic look, there were some that were less than thrilled to see her around. Avoiding their gazes, she walked to the counter to see the manager stepping from the storage behind the bar.

"Ah, miss Fueguchi," he greeted. "How was work."

Ryukou paused. She wanted to tell him about how horrible it had been – about how much she'd embarrassed herself – but, that wasn't his problem to deal with. Smiling, Ryuko replied; "It was fine. Nothing I didn't expect. Did Hinami behave herself while I was gone?" she asked.

"Yes," Yoshimura put her worries to rest. "Though, I was a little concerned… She's been very quiet the whole time."

Ryukou sighed in relief. _At least Hinami behaved today. _Recently, her daughter had been very… agitated. She would yell and scream at her mother for the smallest reasons. Of course, Ryukou was not so dense as to not understand why – the girl had just lost her father. And even though it made Ryukou sad to admit it, Hinami had always had a closer relationship with Asaki than she ever did her mother.

"I'm glad," the mother said. "Where is she?"

"She's where you left her – the employee lounge."

Ryukou bowed slightly. "Thank you for being so helpful, Mr. Yoshimura," she said, her voice cracking a bit.

"It's no trouble, miss Fueguchi," the manager repeated for the umpteenth time. "After all, Anteiku was established to help," he glanced to the customers, "people."

Ryukou nodded, and followed the manager up the second stairwell, heading to the lounge. She wrapped her knuckles against the door thrice before creaking it open and peering inside. "Hinami~," she called out before pausing when she spotted Kaneki in the room as well, sitting across from Hinami with her notebook open.

Hinami looked up at the sound of her name. "Momma!" she said, before sliding off the couch with her notebook and moving to her mother's side.

Ryukou smiled and place a hand on her daughter shoulder pulling her closer to her. "What's going on here?"

"Ken taught me a lot of new words! He knows a lot about books too!" Her daughter told her excitedly.

"Is that so?" Ryukou asked as the manager moved past the pair of them and peered through the blinds. "That's very kind of you, Kaneki. Perhaps you could help Touka out as well?"

"That's what I said!" Hinami pointed out.

"Well," Kaneki replied awkwardly, "I don't think that's going to happen…"

Ryukou was about to inquire why not. After all, she didn't think Touka would have objected. Though she wasn't personally attracted to him, she did realize that he was a cute young man – and very nice. At Touka's age, she would have been all over someone like him. However, she was stopped as the manager spoke up.

"It appears the rain has started. I'll lend you an umbrella, miss Fueguchi."

"Thank you, manager," Ryuko said. "I appreciate it. I suppose we should get going as well. We don't want to get caught in too bad a storm."

As Ryukou was leading Hinami out of the lounge room, suddenly the girl stopped and called to Kaneki, catching his attention. "Thank you! I… I want to learn more next time!"

Kaneki seemed to be caught off guard for a moment before smiling and nodding.

(-)

After leaving Anteiku, Ryukou discovered that the downpour was rapidly becoming heavier and heavier. "Wow," Ryukou commented, pulling Hinami in closer as to keep her dry. "It's really coming down today."

"It's 'Shuuu', mom!" Hinami said, excitedly.

"Hm?"

"It's 'Shuuu'. Kaneki taught it to me. It means rain that comes down suddenly," her daughter went on to explain.

Ryukou smiled. "Kaneki is very smart, isn't he?"

Hinami looked as if she was about to say something when she suddenly stopped, and her nose twitched. That caused Ryukou to develop a pit in her stomach. Hinami's nose was the one thing left that either of them could depend on fully.

"Hinami?" Ryukou asked, looking around herself. "Hinami, what is it?" Ryukou was flying blind at that moment; the rain dulled her senses, and perhaps Hinami's too, but even then the girl could smell better than most Ghouls. "Should we run?"  
Hinami nodded, making a sound of terror fueled agreement and the pair hurried down the sidewalk, Ryukou almost dragging her daughter along behind her. They continued to race down the street until two men in white overcoats appeared before them – one tall and intimidating and the other hunched over, with a frightening expression on his face.

"Ah, Mrs. Fueguchi!" The hunched man said, feigning pleasant surprise. "We were just looking for you, you know?"

Ryukou gulped, pulling Hinami, who was already latching onto her mother's waist, even closer. "W-who are you? What business do you have with me?"

"Come now, Mrs. Fueguchi," The hunched-over man said, smirking as he pulled out a plastic bag which held Asaki's mask from inside his coat. "Let's not play dumb."

Ryukou suddenly went cold and her eyes widened. _I need… I need to run. I need to take Hinami and run while I still can. _As she thought this, however, she noticed the crowd that was beginning to form around them – the crowd of humans and the two other men in suits behind them.

"Everyone, maintain your distance!" The taller man ordered, displaying some sort of badge. "These two are Ghouls! It's dangerous, so please leave immediately!"

Ryukou still couldn't believe this was happening - it was all too sudden. She felt like she'd been frozen solid. It was just a moment ago that she and her daughter were talking about learning and enjoying a stroll together and then they were cornered like rats. She was only shaken from her paralysis when she felt Hinami squeezer her tighter and look up at her with a fearful expression and tears in her eyes.

"M-mother…?" she asked in a pleading tone.

At that moment, Ryukou felt incredibly calm. Exhaling, she allowed her Kagune to burst from her shoulders, eliciting a chorus of screams from the surrounding crowd. She then knelt down and covered herself and Hinami within it.

Hinami looked surprised at the beige walls that surrounded her and stared at her mother in awe. Ryukou kissed her daughter on the forehead and spoke. "Hinami. **Run.**"

Ryukou then whipped her Kagune out in a twirling motion, sending rainwater out quickly, distracting her assailants by dousing them with the rainwater that had accumulated at her feet and nicking the two in black suits with her kagune. Hinami hesitated for a split second before taking off down an adjacent alleyway.

_Alright, _Ryukou thought. _I'm ready._

Strangely, the older man smiled at her display. "Mrs. Fueguchi," he said raising his briefcase. "There is no need to be so hostile. We've merely come to reunite you with your beloved!" With that, he swung open his briefcase, revealing the Kagune of her husband within.

For a moment, Ryukou was hit with a mixture of sorrow and fear. Just as quickly, however, that sorrow and fear was replaced with rage and a desire for vengeance.

"Amon, fetch the girl," the hunched man ordered.

The taller man nodded and made a move towards the direction Hinami had escaped in, but Ryukou stopped him by slamming down one of her Kagune limbs where he would have been had he not come to a halt. "I won't let you touch her!"

The tall man adjusted his tie and the other whipped her husbands Kagune at her with great speed, which she thankfully evaded. "Disgusting!" he exclaimed, laughing. "Look at how they mimic human emotions - such as concern for loved ones!"

(000)

Kaneki zipped up his windbreaker and stepped outside. Kaya had arrived for her shift, so the manager had him clock out for the day and head home, since they weren't very busy anyways and the traffic Anteiku got would only die down further throughout the day. _It's really coming down, _Ken thought as he unwrapped his umbrellas ribs, allowing it spread open. He quickly brushed his hand against the left chest of his windbreaker, feeling the back of the inner pocket, making sure that he hadn't forgotten his mask. _Okay. Time to go home._

Making his way down the sidewalk, Ken couldn't help but notice the amount of oncoming traffic he was being met with. Normally, he wouldn't have given it another thought, however, a certain conversation caught his ear.

"Man, that was crazy!" one man said, walking next to a woman.

"Yeah," she agreed, "I never thought I'd see a Ghoul before! They looked just like people… that's a scary thought."

"And that weird thing that came out of her back!" he added, "That was kinda cool even if it was pretty scary."

"Right…" she agreed. "It was kind of pretty though. It almost looked like a flower."

"It's a good thing the investigators showed up. It makes me feel a lot better seeing them in action, y'know? At least there's someone out there keeping those monsters in check."

Ken began to sweat nervously. _They saw a Ghoul… But, it couldn't be… No. No. I mean, what's the probability. _Kaneki tried to convince himself with that line of thinking, but as he continued on his way home, he couldn't help but become increasingly aware of the cold knot in his stomach. _There's no way…_

His fears seemed to manifest themselves however, when he saw Hinami round the corner, running as fast as she could; and despite the rain, Kaneki could still make out the tears in her eyes. _Oh no…_

"Mr. Kaneki!" she called out as she ran to him and threw herself into him.

"H-Hinami!?" W-what's going on? "A-are you okay?! Where's your mother!?"

"She – She's all alone! Th-th-they have her, Kaneki! I – I – I –," Hinami looked up at him through her tears, eyes pleading with him to do something.

_But – but what can I do? I'm not -! I don't know how to fight! _However, Ken looked at the despair on Hinami's face and felt her fear as she hugged him tighter - like she was drowning and had been thrown a life raft. _She's… Ryukou's all she has._

Ken placed his hand over his left breast pocket and felt the leather mask within. "Right," he said. "Take me to her."

For a moment, Ken saw a light of hope in Hinami's eyes as she took him by the wrist and led him back to where her mother was. The pair rushed as fast as they could down the slick side-walk, Hinami almost tripping once, until they turned on an empty street with a group of people at the end of it. Nearing closer to them, Kaneki had Hinami hide with him in an alley way, so he could get a better look at the situation.

Peering from behind the wall, Ken got a good look at what was happening. Ryukou was on her knee's, bloody and beaten with her flower-like Kagune flacid on the floor. There were also four men in suits, two of which had white overcoats. The two in all black looked pretty regular, but the two in white were much more intimidating. One of them was an absolute mountain of a man - easily six feet or over - and the other was an older man; slightly hunched with a creepy look on his face. He appeared to be talking to Ryukou, but Ken couldn't hear him at the distance he was at. Whatever he was saying, Kaneki was sure it wasn't anything pleasant.

"W-what are we gonna do?!" Hinami asked, trying her hardest to keep her voice down.

Ken paused and looked to the pavement, rippling with water droplets. He once again felt the mask in his breast pocket and took a deep breath. "You're going to run back to Anteiku," Kaneki told Hinami, as he took out the mask and began to put it on.

"But -," she began to argue.

"Please!" Kaneki pleaded. "I-I'm going to," he considered whether or not he should say try. "I'm going to save your mother. I can't do that if I have to worry about you getting caught by them… Go back to Anteiku and tell the manager what's going on… Maybe he can send me some help." _If I make it that long. _

Hinami frowned deeply and tears once again began to well up in her eyes, but she didn't cry. Instead, she nodded and took off back towards the coffee shop. Ken once again peered past the wall and began to think. _Okay… how am I gonna' do this? I don't… I don't want to kill anyone, so I can't use the Kagune. Shit, I don't even know if I __**could **__use it… _

Ken looked around quickly for something he could use as a weapon before he realized he had a makeshift weapon already in his hands already. _Right, _he thought as he rewrapped the umbrellas ribs, _I'll use it as a club… Fuck, I'm going to die._ Ken then zipped the lips of his mask closed and took off in a sprint down the street, umbrella at the ready.

The sound of the rain coming down so hard at that point covered his footsteps as he closed in on the first two in black. Before the taller one with buzzed hair could turn his head fully to investigate the sound of splashing water drawing nearer, Ken had already closed in on him. Swinging the umbrella as hard as he could, Kaneki slammed the umbrellas' hard plastic pole and metal ribs into the side of the man's head, knocking him to the ground, out cold.

Ken then turned his attention to the other man, who now backed up with a look of fear in his eyes and reached for something inside his coat. The fear on the mans face made Ken hesitate for a half second before reason kicked in. _Move or get shot! Fucking move! _He told himself and he brought his umbrella, now bent, overhead and smashed it over the head of the other black suit, sending him down too.

Kaneki then turned his attention to the older man and his massive accomplice and took a split moment to decide who to focus on first. _Who's the bigger threat? Who? Guy with the weapon, guy with the weapon! _Forcing himself to attack once more, Kaneki swung his even more damaged umbrella towards the guy with the strange, whip-like weapon.

Surprisingly, the old man was very agile as he quickly backstepped away from Kaneki and Ryukou. Ken took this time to tell Ryukou to take the opportunity and run. "Miss Fueguchi! Please get out of here!"

Hinami's mother seemed to pause for a moment before giving a quick, solemn nod and taking off down the street, opposite of Anteiku. The man with the weapon, however didn't want to let her get away and quickly drew the weapon back, ready to slash her with it. Out of instinct, Ken rushed him again and tried to prevent that. He wasn't so much trying to hit him at this point, as much as distract him so he couldn't use his weapon.

"Get out of the way!" Kaneki heard a voice from beside him and was in the process of turning his head, when he suddenly felt a massive object slam into the right side of his skull, causing the left side to his head to touch his shoulder, following a loud snap. A second later, Ken was laying on the ground, unable to move. _W-what-, _he began to think, but was cut off as an intense pain like he'd never before experienced rushed down his neck and spine.

Ken laid there, unable to move, say anything, or even think, as cold cold rain fell over him. He could barely breath as the mask blocked his airway. His eyes darted around the place, trying to make sense of what was happening, his chest heaved up and down violently, but his arms and legs lay sprawled out like some life-less doll. A moment later, that tall man appeared above him, holding an odd, red, pulsating club in both hands.

"She's already gone…" he heard a disappointed voice say somewhere out of his view; Ken couldn't move his head so he couldn't track it.

"What about this one?" The tall man asked.

"Hm? Is he even a Ghoul? I didn't see him use a Kagune… Maybe he's one of those punks who thinks it's funny running around parading as Ghouls." Came the same voice, still out of Kaneki's sight

"In that case should we call an ambulance? He'll die otherwise."

"Don't bother," The other said again. "Conspiring with Ghouls is an offence punishable by death anyways. Besides, we don't know yet if he's human and it would be a shame to miss out on collecting his Kagune. I want to try to coax it out…"

Eventually, the pain became unbearable, and Ken passed out.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Hinami's legs burned as she ran through the pouring rain as fast as she could manage. She weaved between the legs of pedestrians, trying to remember the way to Anteiku as best she could, but she'd never gone there without her mother before. She'd never gone _anywhere _without her mother before. _This is bad! This is bad! I should have asked Kaneki how to get back! I'm lost! They'll both die if I can't get to Anteiku in time! _Hinami took a moment to stop and see if there were any signs that could lead her to the coffee shop, but if there were, she didn't see any.

Hinami's mind was racing as she continued to aimlessly run through the streets, hoping that she'd stumble upon the shop eventually. She tried to ask people for help, or directions, but they either told her to get lost or simply ignored her. She couldn't understand why no one would help her – why no one cared. Eventually, unable to force her burning, aching legs to continue anymore, Hinami collapsed on the sidewalk and began to sob. _Mama… Kaneki… I'm sorry… I'm sorry… _she apologized, as she tightened her fists in sadness and anger and squeezed her eyes shut, hot tears streaming down her cheeks. She remained in that state for a few moments, so overwhelmed by guilt that she didn't even notice the sound of a car pulling up in front of her and the opening of its passenger door.

"Hinami?" A deep voice called to her. Opening her eye's she was greeted by a large, silver – haired man in a car, looking at her with a slight hint concern on his face.

Hinami's first instinct was to run, assuming he was another investigator, as he was just as frightening. However, her nose, though it's sense of smell was hampered by the rain, informed her that he was like her – A Ghoul.

"Who… Who are you?" she asked warily, standing up. "Please, I – my mother needs help and my friend, Kaneki! Some men found us and -,"

"Get in," the silver-haired man told Hinami, who paused for a moment before climbing into the passenger seat, barely able to close the door before the man floored the gas pedal, the force pushing her into the back of the seat.

"Where are they?" The man asked, as he sped down the road, passing cars.

At that moment, Hinami realized that, if she didn't even know where _she_ was, she didn't know how to get back to her mother and Kaneki. A new wave of despair overwhelmed her, and she began to cry again. "I – I don't know! I don't even know where I am!" she cried, bringing her knees to her chest and sobbing into them.

The silver haired man didn't say anything and instead began to tune his radio into different frequencies, catching Hinami's attention as she continued to cry. "W-what are you doing?"

"Figuring out where they are," the man replied as he continued to turn the knob, picking up the sounds of people talking. The man continued until a particular conversation caught his ear, describing a Ghoul who sounded like Kaneki, on Miyaki street.

"Th- That's them! It has to be!" Hinami exclaimed; hope reignited within her.

The man nodded. "They're not far."

(-)

Renji parked his car (using the term his lightly) a block away from Miyaki street and scaled a nearby building, using the rooftops to make his way to the scene undetected. Touching down on a low office building that rested on Miyaki street, Renji peered over the rooftop ledge to get a clearer view of what the situation was - If Ryukou and Kaneki were still alive, or if he should clear out.

The first things that caught his eye were the two doves that crossed the border into the 20th a few weeks ago, furrowing his brow, he thought about how if he knew things would accelerate this far, he would have killed them when he had the chance that night, rather than hope they would give up on their investigation and move on. He should have known that they were a cut above the rest, even for 1st ward investigators. One, the old man, was busy prodding at a lifeless figure lying on the floor and the other was helping up two of his fellow doves.

His eyes shifted to the lifeless figure that he soon recognized to be Kaneki, dead in the street, with his neck bent at an unnatural angle with bones jutting out of place and causing the skin to strain not to be torn. Renji closed his eyes in disappointment; if only he'd been there sooner. _I'm sorry, Eto… _The kid was a fool, and not cut out for a Ghouls life, but Renji had hoped he could have saved him.

_Where's Ryukou? _Renji set a new objective, hoping to be able to save _someone,_ as he continued to survey the situation. Fortunately, she didn't seem to be anywhere around, so there was hope that she could have escaped them. _But how? _Yomo wondered. _Ken must have sacrificed himself to help her escape… dammit. _Renji gritted his teeth in frustration and slipped his beaked mask over his face, preparing to confront the doves. It was a foolish thing to do, he knew, but he was going to try to recover Ken's body; It was the least he could do for him. _I'll have to be quick. Can't kill them, or it'll just make things worse… I'm not too sure if I could take the both of them either._

As Renji prepared himself, The older man used the tip of his umbrella to press down on Ken's lower back, surprising Renji - and himself - when a massive red tentacle erupted from Ken's kakuhou. The tentacle whipped itself hard and fast, striking the older man in the chest and sending him flying into a nearby store window. Renji stopped, watching as the Kagune returned to a resting, but alert position.

"Mr. Mado!" The younger investigator cried out in concern, letting go of one of his comrades he was propping up, forcing them to grab hold of a light pole for support, and rushing over with his own club like quinque. The investigator, a well-built man, who could probably be formidable even without his weapon, stopped several feet away, quinque at the ready. Ken's kagune danced wildly above him but, in response to the new threat. aimed directly at the investigator. It reminded Renji of an angry snake, ready to strike.

The investigator then began to make his move, shuffling his feet forward a bit, he edged closer to Ken's body before breaking into a serpentine sprint, probably hoping to have the tentacle miss and give him time to properly kill Ken. If that was his intent, it worked – the kagune struck at him and barely missed as he slid beneath it and headed straight for Ken, club overhead and ready to come down to smash the boy's head in. Renji was about to intervene when, to both his and the investigators surprise; a second, smaller appendage erupted from Ken's lower back and wrapped itself around the club.

A moment later, it wrenched the weapon from the dove's hands and tossed it away into a nearby building, where it imbedded itself into the wall. The tentacles however, seemed not to be able to maintain themselves and dissipated shortly after. Now weaponless, the investigator looked to the quinque of the older man, who had dropped it when he was knocked away. Yomo figured his intent and when he saw the man rush for it, used his own Kagune to fire a warning shot between the investigator and the quinque.

The man stopped in his tracks at that, immediately spotting the Ghoul in the plague doctor mask on the rooftop down the street. Renji, even through the rain and tinted spectacles could see the fear in the man's stance and face, as well as his resolve. As quickly as he could, he leapt to Ken's side, scooped him up and took off down the alley way adjacent to them before scaling a fire escape with Ken on his back.

Once Yomo had cleared a few rooftops, he found himself a concealed spot behind some ventilation equipment and checked to see if Ken was actually dead. He had been sure he must have been when he arrived, just looking at the unnatural way his head rested on his left shoulder, but after what he'd just witnessed, he felt hopeful that he had been wrong. Yomo was still surprised by that; he'd seen a Ghoul's kagune erupt from their body after death before, sure - it was the same as the random nerve twitches the body exhibited after death - but he'd never seen a Kagune behave like that… like it was alive.

Pulling up Ken's wrist, noting how cold his skin was as he did so, Renji checked for his pulse and was pleasantly surprised to find that yes, Ken Kaneki was still alive… Barely there but still alive. He then examined his neck, which appeared like it had been broken severely, most likely by that club. Still, it didn't appear as bad as he had initially thought. He had seen Ghouls come back from worse after all. Picking up Ken onto his back, this time making sure his head and neck didn't knock around too much, Renji made his way back to where he'd left Hinami and the car.

(-)

Amon stood in silent shock as the rain poured over him and soaked him to the bone. _What was that? _he wondered, his heart still pounding. In all his time studying at the academy and reinforcing his knowledge of Ghouls and their Kagune, he'd never seen a Kagune act that way while its host was incapacitated. Kagunes of dead or unconcious Ghouls _could _sometimes be triggered by nerve stimulation or even just as the Ghouls body relaxed, but he'd never heard of it being able to do something like _that_. _And why didn't that other Ghoul kill me? Why did he leave me alive?_

"Amon," He heard a shaky voice call his name from behind. Turning, Koutarou watched in horror as his mentor stumbled out of the door of the shop he'd been thrown into, clutching his ribs. A second later, he fell to his knees and coughed up some blood.

"Mr, Mado!" Amon exclaimed as he rushed to the older man's side and dropped to one knee. "Mr. Mado! How bad is it?" he asked, carefully propping the old man up, draping his thin arm around his shoulder.

"Oh… It's not so bad," Kureo replied, with a hint of sarcasm to his voice. "At least, that's what I'd like to say, but that bastard got me pretty good – I think most of my ribs are broken, and the ones that aren't are cracked." He coughed a bit more and had a far off look in his eyes as he continued to stare at the ground. "Dammit, If I had been in my prime, I would have dodged that thing easily, you know?" he said with a chuckle.

"Of course, Mr. Mado," Amon said, finding a nearby bench to sit him on. "I'm going to call an ambulance."

Reaching into his coats inner pocket, Amon brought out his cell phone and began to dial emergency services. _I'll make those bastards pay for this… _

(000)

Touka stared blankly at the Kanji in her textbook, having long ago decided that she wasn't going to get anywhere studying it by herself. _Maybe you should just pay attention in class for once, Kirishima, _she told herself, smirking. _No, no, that's far too difficult_. _After all it's __**boring **__right? That's reason enough to not try, isn't it? _Even though it was a joke, there was still truth there. The reason Touka had neglected her studies was because it _was _boring – damned boring! It wasn't even so much the material itself as it was her teacher. The man would talk in the most robotic voice – it was almost like he didn't care. _So why should I? _she thought.

Still, she couldn't lie to herself and blame it all on the man. _If only I knew someone who was good at reading; like an author… or a bookworm. _Touka blinked and frowned, slamming the book shut and looking out the rainy window at the figures of people and the occasional car passing through. Eto's words from a few weeks ago rang through her head – about setting her up with a cute guy – about Kaneki. _So, he's not as lame as I thought, but he's still not cute… Not in an attractive way… I guess…_ _Maybe I'll take him up on that offer to tutor me._ Touka then shook her head – she needed to focus on her studies.

The sound of a car pulling up outside her window, caught Touka's attention, prompting the young Ghoul to peer through the glass. She recognized it as Yomo's car (or at least the car he drove), which was strange, because he almost never came by the shop during the day; then she saw Hinami exit the passenger seat and rush into the restaurant. Touka's breath hitched in her throat as she stood up abruptly and waited for Ryukou to emerge. Only, she didn't; instead Yomo turned into the alleyway adjacent to Anteiku and Touka felt herself turn cold with fear.

_Oh no, _she thought, practically jumping to her door and rushing downstairs to meet Hinami. _Oh God, what happened!? _As she quickly made her way down the stairs, using all the restraint she had not to just leap down the flight, she could only think about how she'd _just _seen Ryukou. _God, please tell me they didn't find her… That she's not -, _Touka didn't want to think it.

Making it to the bottom, Touka watched as a soaked Hinami flung the dining floor door open and rushed in. Immediately, she picked out Touka and ran to her. Touka dropped to one knee to meet her and embraced her as she ran into her arms. "Hinami, wha –,"

"I'm sorry!" Hinami cried a muffled apology into her shoulder before Touka could ask. "I didn't mean for him to get hurt! I just wanted to help mama!"

Touka wanted to ask her what was going on and what she meant but paused as Yoshimura stepped into her view from behind the counter and motioned for her to get upstairs. From behind him, she could see that some customers were beginning to stare. Touka nodded and led Hinami upstairs, keeping her in her arms as Hinami continued to cry, Yoshimura following behind.

Touka took Hinami into the lounge and sat her down on the couch, once again falling to one knee and placing her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Hinami, what happened, huh?" she asked, wiping away the tears from the girl's cheeks. "Who got hurt?"

Hinami looked as if she was about to answer when a moment later Yomo entered the room. "It's Kaneki," he said, gaining Touka and Yoshimura's attention. The two shared a glance and Yoshimura followed Renji out the door, headed towards the basement, leaving Touka alone with Hinami.

"Hina, what happened?" she asked gently, cupping Hinami's face in her hands. "Where's your mother?"

"I don't… I don't know," Hinami replied as she caught her breath between sobs before she continued to cry again. "It's my fault," she said. "It's my fault, I'm sorry! I didn't mean for him to get hurt! I didn't!"

Touka swallowed. _Oh God… Kaneki's not… He's not dead, is he? _After shaking her head as if to erase the idea, Touka pressed her forehead to Hinami's and said, "I know. I know, Hinami. It's okay, we're all just glad you're okay, alright?"

A moment later Kaya entered. "Touka, what's going on?" she asked, hurriedly walking over to the younger Ghoul and Hinami.

"I don't know," Touka replied, making room for Kaya to check on Hinami. "Hinami is too shaken up to make any sense right now, I'm going to go see what happened."

"Right."

Stepping out of the lounge, Touka made her way to the storage floor – the floor below the dining room – where they kept an assortment of excess belongings, as well as the freezer where the packages were held. It was also where Renji liked to enter and exit the shop, using the hidden door at the back, so no one could connect him to Anteiku. "Yomo? Manager? Where are you?" she called out.

"Over here," Yoshimura replied, "At the back."

Nodding, Touka hurried to the back of the storage floor where she saw Yoshimura and Renji standing over Kaneki on an unused, wooden table. Touka moved to join them, but stopped in surprise when she got a better look at Kaneki. He was lying lifeless on the table, soaking wet, with his neck bent at a painful angle, with a bit of vertebrae pressing against the skin. _Oh God… _"Is he dead?" she asked, not taking her eyes off of him.

"No… It was actually worse before I got here. His body is healing itself incredibly fast," Yomo answered, his voice tinged with what sounded, to Touka, like disbelief.

"That… Makes sense, though right?" Touka asked, looking up to the silver – haired Ghoul. "I mean, he's a Rinkaku type, they're fast healers aren't they."

"…Yeah," Renji affirmed, sounding uncertain.

Yoshimura looked to Renji, then to Touka before turning to her and saying, "Touka, go upstairs and find a warm blanket and a pillow for Kaneki. I would set him up in a bed, but I don't want to disturb the customers… Or cause any suspicion. Also, call Eto and tell her to come."

"Right," Touka said as she began to turn, but stopped when she heard an odd sound coming from Ken. Pausing, she looked back and watched as the vertebrae that had been pressing against the skin adjusted itself back into place with a loud crack."

"Touka, hurry," the manager reminded her.

The she-Ghoul nodded and jogged to the staircase, dialing Eto's number as she ascended them. _What the hell happened?_

(An hour later)

_Finally, _Eto thought as she opened the door to Anteiku and began her ascent upstairs. She opened the door to the dining floor of Anteiku, wrapping up her drenched umbrella and looking around for anyone. The dining room was thankfully empty apart from a somewhat troubled looking Koma waiting behind the bar.

"Yo, green!" he greeted, face lighting up a bit at her presence.

"Koma -," Eto began, sounding breathless, but was immediately cut off by the pompadoured Ghoul.

"I know, I know," he said, waving his hand, "Ken's upstairs in guest bedroom… We just got him out of the basement when the last of the customers took off. They told me to wait down here in case anyone else shows up," he explained, sounding a bit annoyed at the end.

"Okay," Eto nodded, hurrying up the stairs. "Thank you!" All she could think about was what condition Ken was in; Touka described it over the phone, but Eto had to see just how bad it was herself. Arriving at the top, she made a B-line for the guestroom when suddenly, the doorit opened and her father emerged, a serious look on his face. That made Eto pause, she'd seen that look many times as a child; she understood what it meant and shifted her gaze away.

After a tense silence, her father spoke up. "Ken is… healed," he answered the question he knew she must have had. "His healing abilities are remarkably fast."

Hearing that from her father, put the half-Ghoul at ease. Still, she had to be sure herself. Making her way past her father and into the room, she was met by the rest of Anteiku; Kaya, Touka, Yomo, as well as Hinami were all standing around Ken's unconscious form on the bed. Touka and Kaya had looks of slight concern, Touka more so than the older woman, while Yomo's troubles only manifested in his eyes; he gave her a look which insinuated that they needed to talk. Hinami's feelings were the most apparent, however. The young girl wasn't even looking at Ken, instead her head was tilted down, her gaze cast to the floor, and her face was contorted in a look of shame with tear stained cheeks.

Eto joined them around Ken who, true to her father's word, seemed more or less fine, apart from some bruising on his head. "Has he," she started, taking a shaky breath. "Has he woken up since?"

"No," Yomo answered. "We attempted to wake him when we moved him to the guest bedroom, but he didn't respond."

Eto gulped silently and closed her eyes a bit. "Do you think he's," she paused again. "Do you think that nobody's home?" she asked, mindful of Hinami in the room.

Despite this though, Hinami understood well what she meant and made a pitiful sound, tilting her head lower, catching the other's attention. "I'm sorry," she pleaded for the umpteenth time that day. "It's all my fault. I just didn't want mom to die… I didn't want to lose anyone else. I didn't think that -," she cut herself off as she stifled another sob and clenched her teeth, shutting her eyes tight.

Touka knelt down next to her and brought her into a hug, patting her head. "It's okay, Hinami," she tried reassuring her. "We understand."

"That's right," Eto added. "No one here blames you for trying to save your mother." The author looked to Ken and paused. "I'm sure Ken doesn't blame you either," she added.

Hinami stopped sobbing for a moment and looked up to Eto with wet eyes. "Really?"

Eto looked to her and smiled, trying to hide the fear she felt. "Of course," she reassured her. "Listen, I'm sure he'll be fine, he's survived much worse than this," she added trying to reassure herself as well as Hinami. "You can ask him yourself if he's mad at you when he wakes up, okay?"

"O-Okay," Hinami said, stopping her sobbing and wiping away the tears on her cheeks.

"Hina," Touka said, gaining the young girl's attention. "Let's get you to lie down, okay? I'm sure you'll feel better after you get a hot shower and some rest; you've had a rough day." Hinami looked as if she was about to protest but eventually conceded that Touka was right. The trio watched as Touka led the young Ghoul out of the room.

"So," Eto sighed, trying and failing to hide just how deep her concern was. "What happened?"

Renji paused. "From what I could tell; Ryukou and Hinami had been cornered by the doves and Ken must have intervened. I found Hinami a few blocks away, alone and she explained it to me. I assume Ryukou got away since I didn't see her there."

Eto furrowed her brow slightly. _And Ken took the punishment for her… _"Do you think he'll wake up?" she asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

"It's hard to say," Yomo replied, eyes locked on Kaneki. "He's recovered from worse, like you said, but that blow to the head he took was pretty severe, judging by how badly his neck was broken when I found him. Still, he's recovered incredibly fast, even for a Rinkaku type, so I'm betting he'll be fine."

Eto glanced at Yomo. If she didn't know any better, she'd think that he was actually _hoping _for something in the first time since… Well, she didn't even remember. It was enough to make her smirk, despite the grim outlook of Kaneki's health. Taking a seat on a chair next to the bed, she exhaled shakily. "I can't believe this happened… I was supposed to take care of him."

"It's not your fault, Eto," Kaya spoke up. "You should know as well as anyone that these things happen."

Eto ran a hand through her hair and bit her lower lip lightly. "That's just it though," she said. "I could have prevented it entirely… I didn't even mention procedure when it came to dealing with the Doves – I didn't explain to him that he should by no means try to engage them … If I had maybe, we wouldn't be here now. I just never guessed that he would go and pick a fight with them… "

Kaya was silent for a moment. "If you had… Hinami would have lost her mother."

Eto furrowed her brow again – it made her angry that Ken, despite trying to help Ryukou, was left there by her. _Still… I suppose that was his goal. _Eto paused. _Who knew you were so brave? _She looked to the unconscious Ken and smiled, slipping her hand beneath the sheets and gripping his. _You better wake up, _she thought as her eyes began to water a bit.

"There's something else," Yomo added, gaining her and Kaya's attention. "When I arrived, I was in time to see one of the investigators probing Ken for his kakuhou and when he found it, it erupted to life and lashed out."

"Yes, well, that happens occasionally," Eto replied off handedly. "It's a nerve twitch."

"I know," Yomo answered. "That's what I thought as well but, this time was different. It acted as if it had a mind of its own - it deliberately attacked the investigators before it eventually failed to sustain itself."

"That sounds like something only a kakuja should be able to do," Kaya spoke, her tone serious. "They've been known to have unpredictable Kagune that sometimes act on their own… But, you don't think that Kaneki has been cannibalizing, do you?" she asked, a bit of humor in her voice at the insinuation.

"No," Renji replied, folding his arms and shifting his gaze back to Kaneki. "However, Rize may have been."

Eto was silent. She didn't know this Rize woman whatsoever so she couldn't speak on her behalf. "If that's the case then when… _if _Ken comes too, we need to teach him how to control his Kagune. Someone as inexperienced as him running around with a kakuja's kagune would be dangerous for everyone – Ghoul and human alike."

Renji nodded. "I'll ask around the 20th, too see if anyone can confirm whether or not Rize was cannibalizing."

"That's unlikely," Kaya interjected, gaining their attention. "Rize was a glutton… But, she didn't eat for survival, she reveled in the taste of flesh and she was no pushover either… She'd have no reason that I can think of to cannibalize. Of course, I didn't know her very well myself."

At that there was a sudden knock at the door, gaining the attention of the three Ghouls. "Come in," Eto said. A moment later, Eto's father and, to the surprise of the entire room, Ryukou, sopping wet from head to toe peaked her head in.

"Mrs. Fueguchi!" Kaya greeted, moving to meet her.

"Hello, Irimi," Ryukou greeted with a quick smile, shakily as she stepped in. "Where's Hinami?"

"Touka took her to get washed and rested," Kaya answered. "You should do the same – you're soaking wet and shivering!"

"I will," Ryukou replied, moving past her, towards the bed before stopping and placing her palm to her mouth in surprise. "Kaneki… Is… Is he -,"  
"Not dead," Eto answered, her voice stern with a hint of an edge directed at the older Fueguchi.

That, along with Yomo's subtle glare, caused Ryukou to shrink in response. "I… I take full responsibility… If it… If it weren't for my own _weakness_, then Kaneki would never have had to get involved."

"Were you followed?" Yomo asked.

"No," Ryukou answered suddenly. "I made sure this time. No one knows I've come here… I also don't intend to stay long. I'm going to try and lead the investigators away from the 20th and lie low until they lose my scent… I just came to see Hinami and if Kaneki was alright…" Ryukou paused for a moment before turning to Yoshimura. "I… I hate to ask," she said, voice quivering with shame. "But, could you watch over Hinami for the time being? I can't have her on the run with me like this."

Yoshimura was silent for a moment before placing a hand on her shoulder. "Of course, Miss Fueguchi. For now, however, you should follow your daughters' example and get a shower and some rest. Also, you should wait until tomorrow to leave as there will undoubtedly be patrols looking for you tonight.

"Thank you," Ryukou said, gripping Yoshimura's hand. "Thank you so much! I promise it won't be long and we'll be out of your hair afterwards! I promise!"

Yoshimura shook his head as he led her out of the room. "Miss Fueguchi, please. There's no need for that."

Yomo waited for a few moments after they left before speaking up. "I'm going to go then."

"I'll go downstairs and help Koma with any customers that come through," Kaya stated as she and Renji left.

Eto sighed and tightened her grip on Ken's hand. Suddenly a wave of guilt washed over her. _I shouldn't be so angry at Ryukou… But why did you do something so reckless? _She asked. Pausing she looked Ken over. _He looks so peaceful like this… When he's awake he always has this worried demeanor about him but, now he looks so calm… It's a nice look on him._

(The Following Day – Around Noon)

Ken was stuck in the darkness. He didn't know where he was or how he got there, only that, despite this, he felt at peace. There was a hefty, warm feeling hugging him and contrasting his cold body. He felt himself relax into it, exhaling deeply. _Where am I? _he asked, not really caring what the answer turned out to be.

At that moment, Ken's eyes began to flutter open and the all-encompassing darkness was replaced by one less deep. Immediately, he understood he was in a room of some kind. He could make out fuzzy shapes within it, such as a cabinet at one corner of the room, a drawer to his left, the window, because of the thin strips of light breaking throw the closed blinds, and at his feet the foot of the bed he was apparently resting in. _This isn't my bed though…_

Suddenly memories flooded Ken's mind, events that happened just moments ago; Hinami running into him in the pouring rain and leading him to where her mother was cornered by the Ghoul investigators, his attempt to save her which he couldn't remember was successful or not, and his skull crashing against his own shoulder and his inability to move as he laid in violent agony on the asphalt in the cold rain.

A rush of adrenaline and fear surged through Kaneki then, causing him to fly up and hop out of the bed, bringing his hands to his neck and head, as if he were trying to keep them in place. _Oh God! Oh God! My Neck – It's Broken! _He thought, pacing around in the dark room, clutching the back of his neck like letting go would cause it to snap. He took in deep, shaky breaths as he did so, unaware of the person he had been sharing the room with until they placed themselves in front of him, gripping him by the shoulders.

Instinct took over and Ken tried to pull away, assuming it was one of the investigators who he had attacked but found himself unable to. "I'm sorry! I was just protecting my friend!" He told them, closing his eyes, awaiting the impending pain. Only, it never came, instead he was greeted by a familiar voice.

"Ken, it's me!" came the voice of Sen Takatsuki – his favorite author – Eto.

Kaneki opened his eyes again, and looked at the figure of the person who's grip he rested in. "Sen?" he asked, a mixture of surprise and relief in his voice.

Suddenly, the door opened, and the light switched on, blinding Ken for a moment before his eyes adjusted. There, just as she said, was Sen Takatsuki. Ken was relieved, but confused at that moment, so much so he didn't even register it when she placed a hand on his cheek and brushed her thumb against it. "Is this Anteiku? How did I get here? I thought for sure that -,"

"Renji brought you here," another familiar voice answered from the doorway, drawing Ken's attention to it.

The manager was there, standing with his hands clasped behind his back and a small smirk on his face. Ken, who hadn't realized he had been hyper ventilating at this point, gulped and began to slow his breathing. He closed his eyes and gently removed himself from Eto's tight grasp, moving to the edge of the bed and sitting down, and placing his head in his hands as he continued to take shaky but controlled breaths.

Ken realized that he was still holding onto the back of his neck at this point and reluctantly released his grip. Looking up to Eto and her father, who had ventured further into the room, he said; "I thought… I thought my neck was broken… What happened?"

There was a slight pause before the older Ghoul responded. "Hinami ran into Renji after you sent her to us for help and he went to rescue you. When Renji found you, he said your neck was severely broken and he thought you were dead… at first. However, you recovered in your unconscious state rather quickly."

Ken nodded exhaling; thankful the pain had caused him to pass out. "And… What about Miss Fueguchi? Did she get away?" he asked, hoping all of that pain he endured meant something.

Yoshimura nodded with smile. "Yes… It was very brave of you to risk your life for Ryukou like that, Ken." However, despite his praise, Yoshimura's smile morphed into a serious expression. "Next time, however, I'd appreciate it if you did not get involved."

Ken blinked in surprise and glanced to Eto, who gave him a sympathetic look. "W-why?" _I messed up? Even after saving Ryukou, I still managed to screw it up?_

"Unfortunately, dealing with doves is not as simple as dealing with violent Ghouls… If you had killed one of them, then the central office would have sent many more down here to hunt you down… It would place a great burden on all the Ghouls here… Of course, you aren't to blame for that – you were acting with good intentions."

Eto also chimed in at this point. "I should have told you, but I didn't expect you to go and pick a fight with the doves, after all."

Ken nodded and lowered his gaze. "I'm sorry… I just… I felt that -," Ken shook his head. "I'll… keep that in mind."

Yoshimura nodded, and said; "You can have today off for your troubles, Ken. It's the least I can do, after what you did for Ryukou and Hinami." He paused, smirking; "I expect you here ready to work tomorrow, however. I have a feeling it'll be a busy day." The joking tone in his voice was palpable.

"Yes, sir," Ken conceded with a small smile of his own.

Yoshimura chuckled to himself and moved to the exit, leaving the two half-Ghouls alone.

"That was brave of you to do that for Ryukou and Hinami," Eto told Kaneki taking a seat next to him. "Though, I'd appreciate it if you never did it again."

"I understand," he reassured her. "I won't give the CCG any reason to send more investigators to the 20th ward." Ken looked to her, "I'm sorry."

Eto smiled at him. "I know you know that," she told him taking his hand in hers for the second time. "I'm asking you for selfish reasons. 2hen Touka called me and told me Renji had brought you to the shop unconscious, with a broken neck," she paused, gulping quietly. "I was terrified... I thought how little time I'd had with you, and how you were already gone."

Ken was speechless for a moment, he was flattered that she would have worried about him so much but, at that moment, all he could think was; _I'm not really someone worth worrying over_. "I appreciate it, Eto," he finally answered, looking back to the floor.

Eto frowned at his response and gripped his hand tighter, gaining his attention. "Why did you do it? You must have known that the chances of you surviving an encounter with two doves wouldn't end well for you. You would have been killed or taken into custody… Ghoul prisons aren't nice places."

Ken paused for a moment, thinking about an answer that wouldn't sound to self-deprecating. Eventually coming up with one, he looked to Eto and said; "I know what it's like to lose your mother… I just didn't want Hinami or anyone else to have to go through that."

Ken thought that answer would suffice, it should have, but he saw the look on Eto's face – one that told him she knew that he was holding something back and, against his better judgement, he kept talking. "I felt that… If someone should die today, it should be someone worthless like me and not Ryukou – Hinami's mother… Someone with value." Ken surprised himself as he started to choke up. _Why? It's not like this is news to me, so why does it hurt so much to say it aloud? _He wondered as his vision blurred and tears formed in his eyes.

A second later, Ken found himself brought into an embrace, pressed tightly against Eto's chest. "You're not… worthless Ken," she said, stuttering slightly. "You - just existing as you are – you have meaning… To me, if not anything else. Before meeting you, I felt alone for so long."

"Alone?" Kaneki asked. _She has her father, Touka, all of Anteiku… How could she feel alone?_

"I know it's silly, right? I have everyone here… But, I never felt like I truly belonged. I don't understand what it's like to be them – to be a real Ghoul. I also don't know what it's like to be entirely human, either… Sure I can live a fairly normal life, blending into society better than any regular Ghoul could hope to but," she paused. "Even I _need _to devour flesh on occasion, to keep my body healthy. If I didn't, I'd begin to wither away and die… It's a curse that none of us can escape." She paused once again. "Then I met you and I didn't feel alone anymore… And even though we weren't exactly the same, we still both had that rare place in the world."

Ken was silent for a moment. "It… must have been hard," he told her, reluctantly hugging her, unsure how to respond.

A second later, there was a knock at the door and Eto released him quickly and stood. "Come in," she answered and a moment later, Ryukou entered, holding Hinami in front of her.

"H-hello… Mister Yoshimura told us you'd woken up… so me and Hinami wanted to see you."

Ken stood up in surprise. "Miss Fueguchi!" he greeted with a happy smile. "I'm glad to see you safe.

"I should be saying that to you, Kaneki… I'm only alive because of what you did for me," she told him, looking to the floor in shame. "I'm… I'm so sorry!" she apologized suddenly, surprising Ken. "I feel so terrible for what happened to you in my stead!"

"Miss Fueguchi," Ken started, scratching the back of his head. "Please don't… It's okay, I promise."

Ryukou shook her head. "No, It's not… And I can never, _never _repay you for what you did for me and Hinami, but I wanted you to know, before I have to leave again, that I'm eternally in your debt."

Hinami turned and gripped her mother's hands, letting out a small sound of despair at the thought of her mother leaving, causing Ryukou to drop to her Knee's like she had done on Miyaki street before facing the investigators. "I know… I know, Hinami. We already talked about this though; I have to leave, just for a little while, until they stop searching, then I can come back, and we can be together again, okay? I promise."

"But -," Hinami began to protest.

"Hinami, I _have_ to," Ryukou said sternly, causing her daughter to go silent and hang her head. "It'll be okay. You have Touka, Kaya, Enji, _Kaneki, _the manager, and miss Eto… I'm going to miss you." Ryukou kissed Hinami's forehead and stood, bringing her into one last tight hug. The mother then looked to Ken and gave him a deep bow before leaving the room.

A moment later, much to his surprise, Hinami wrapped herself around Ken's waist and began to cry.

* * *

**Authors Notes: Sorry for the wait, I just got sick of typing after finals. Also, by next chapter this story may have a new title it wont be drastically different, but it's just a heads up so no one is confused.**


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